


The Christmas Function

by LazySundayMusings



Category: Peter Kay's Car Share (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-28
Updated: 2020-03-14
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:01:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 43,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21592735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LazySundayMusings/pseuds/LazySundayMusings
Summary: The store Christmas function is just days away.Most of the staff are talking about it.  Most of them...Starts one week after the events of “The Big Picture”.
Relationships: Kayleigh Kitson/John Redmond
Kudos: 20





	1. Chapter 1

John had been Acting Store Manager for just eleven days but had already made his mark. His first act had been to schedule a meeting at eight-thirty each morning, during which he would pass on whatever information he had that was relevant to the operation of the store as a whole, while also giving the seniors and section heads an open forum to share whatever was on their minds.  
His first action plan had taken into account the feedback from those sessions, plus some long-term gripes everyone knew about. And while the initial results weren’t earth-shattering - ordering specialised knife sets and equipment for certain teams - it did show that John was listening. And, as he pointed out in one of the afternoon catch-ups - “we’ve got to start somewhere.”

When he announced the next tasks - addressing some long-standing issues in staff-only areas of the store - the response was more positive, with comments like “about time” and “makes you wonder why it’s taken so long” being the norm.

There had also been a few grumbles.  
“Typical - new manager wanting to be seen doing something, anything.”  
“Is that it? Fancy knives and basic repairs in the bogs?”  
“He’s not trying very hard, is he?”

That last one had stung, but it was a comment from Brenda that helped put it in perspective:  
“Forget it, John. You can’t bloody win with some people.”

It was at the same time that those working closest to him began to see a change in John’s manner. Apart from looking tired more often than not - which was to be expected, given he was now working eleven-hour days - he was quiet and reserved in general but particularly in meetings, where he regularly took a back seat throughout most of the proceedings, listening and contributing where needed but also discretely checking his phones throughout.  
John hadn’t exactly forgotten how to smile but only seemed happy when he was able to pass on the increasingly-positive news about Alison Thompson’s recovery in hospital.  
And when he was getting ready to go home. Which he was doing alone, half the time.

So.  
Tired. Quiet. Obviously distracted. Doing long days. Happy to leave each night.

But...  
Attentive. Encouraging. Powering though his work each day while organising things for the store with a determination that Dave Thompson had never shown.

What was going on?

********************

Monday evening, seven days ago

John had said “You choose” when Kayleigh suggested they go out for dinner, but he'd then tried to steer her thinking towards a cafe or small diner that might be both nice and private so they could talk. Instead, Kayleigh chose a cheery eatery where they could just enjoy being together while they ate. She could see he was still a bit caught up in the events of the afternoon so opted for somewhere with a relaxed atmosphere to take the edge off the day, knowing there would be plenty of time to talk.

And it was in “Little Blue” outside the small Bury house where John turned the radio down and the real conversation began.  
“I finally know what I’m doing. About work, I mean.”  
“Okay... which is?”  
“I’m getting a job in Area office.”  
“Well, I knew that. You’ve already told me you want to work there once the project is over.”  
“No. What I mean is, I’ve applied for a job there that starts before the project is finished, but I’ll keep working on the project as a permanent Area-employee rather than as a transfer. I heard today that it’s basically a done-deal, but I’m having to wait until the time is right before I actually go over.”  
“You just went ahead and applied? When?”  
“I’d mentioned it to one of the seniors in the Project Office over there a while back, and it’s been bubbling away ever since. And now it’s confirmed. More or less.”

Kayleigh shifted in her seat. “Were you not going to say anything to me about it?”  
“Like I said, I’d asked about it ages ago but then everything went quiet and for the longest time it just seemed to be going nowhere. And then, after all the other stuff happened... I didn’t say anything because I was trying not to dwell on it. I didn’t want to get my hopes up, in case it was yet another thing that didn’t happen.”  
“And now it is?”  
“It’s looking much, much better.”  
“Well, that’s something. So, when would you actually start over there?”  
“Hopefully not long after Dave gets back in mid-January or so. By that time the Christmas and New Year madness will be over, and everyone will be back into the swing of things. It’ll be business as usual so I can just hand over to Dave, and... go.”  
“Oh. But, won’t Dave try to stop you leaving?”  
“This time he won’t be able to. It’s not a transfer and it’s not for a senior position, so I didn’t need his support or approval to apply, and that means he can’t block me like he’s done before. He’ll not be in any position to make a fuss about it. Plus, he’ll have his pick of three perfectly good candidates to be Assistant Manager in my place. And, let’s face it, me being gone is basically what he’s been wanting for ages anyway.”

“Right. Right. So, what is this job, then?”  
“It’s with the group that will pick up from where “Small Stores” leaves off. A plain-old office job. Nine to five. No staff responsibilities. I’ll be just a pleb with a phone and computer on the desk. Won’t even have a special job title.” He paused. “It’ll be less money, of course, but... hey.”  
“Less than Acting Manager, you mean?”  
“Less than Assistant Manager.”  
“What? Really?”  
“Really.”  
“But... why?”  
“Because it’s the best option for me. It’ll be just like before, where I can just focus on doing my job. I can go in, do what needs doing then go home. They won’t be able to drag me back to the store on a whim, I won’t have to carry a work-phone every day, won’t have to put up with anywhere near as much crap as I do now.”  
“Sounds almost relaxing.”  
“Hardly. Still have to get everything sorted so we can get those new stores. We’ve got to show actual results in under two years. We have to get this right, because it’s the kind of thing that could work around the country. It’s a big deal, this.”

Kayleigh nodded her understanding, then waited.

“I’ve been thinking about this a lot,” he continued. “I know how awful this sounds, but - Dave having to be away to look after Alison is a very good thing for me. It means I’ve got nearly two months to get everything in the store set up as well as it can possibly be, plus keep chipping in whenever the project asks me to. Then I can make a clean break from the place.”

Kayleigh nodded. “Right. So who knows about this job?”  
“As of now,” John counted on his fingers, “the guy in Area who I’ve been talking to, Alan Campbell, the project lead... and you.”  
“Really? No one else? Not-”  
“I know this is the right thing for me to do. But no one else needs to know about it, not until closer to the time. And that’s probably not until early in January when Dave has to confirm when he’ll be back in the store. So, not a word to anyone until then. Please?”  
“Okay.”

They heard a familiar text-alert. Kayleigh looked at her phone and smiled.  
“It’s Mandy, asking if I’m ever coming in or not. Would you like a hot drink before you go?”  
John checked the clock on the dash then shook his head. “Uh, no. Best I was off, I think. Got a six o’clock start tomorrow and still have to iron and make my lunch. But, thank you.”  
“Okay. Well, come on, then.”  
John and Kayleigh got out of the car and had their usual, “proper” hug. But when John made to loosen his hold, Kayleigh whispered “No” and tightened her grip.  
“It’s so unfair, John.”  
“What is?”  
“That you’re so close to this opportunity and you can’t talk about it. Like so many other things.”  
“I’m fine with that. And there’s still that slight chance that it might not happen, but I’ll know for sure in the next week or so. Until then, I’ll just have to wait with my fingers crossed, all while I keep doing what needs doing.”  
Kayleigh made a sympathetic face.  
John smiled. “But, hey - hopefully not much longer.”

They stood silently for a few moments, but when Kayleigh started to let go, John quietly said “Wait.”  
“What?”  
“Would you like to come round for dinner on Wednesday?”  
“Not tomorrow?”  
“Can’t tomorrow. I’ve got a late meeting at Area office that won’t finish until about five-thirty so won’t have time to make dinner. But I can definitely be ready to leave at five on Wednesday to put dinner together. This week is looking to get colder so I’m thinking that something simple would be good. Warm and filling. Please say yes.”

Kayleigh smiled. “I’d love to.”


	2. Wednesday morning, five days ago

John had been quiet and visibly tired all morning. He’d arrived later than usual but had rushed around to make sure everything was done on time. The one obvious difference in his behaviour was that he didn’t attend the eight-thirty meeting for the senior staff, instead staying put in Dave’s office and delegating responsibility for the meeting to the two Simons. He’d also brushed off any questions and concerns about his health with “I’m fine, just a bit tired” - even though it was obvious to everyone that he was more than “a bit” tired.

It had also briefly been a topic of conversation at the morning tea table.  
“The boss is looking ragged today, isn’t he?”  
“Maybe he’s not coping with the pressure of being properly in charge for once.”  
“Maybe. Even his sleep-in doesn’t seem to have helped.”

That stopped the conversation in it’s tracks. All eyes at the table turned to the source of the comment.  
Rachel spoke for the group. “And, how EXACTLY do you know he had a sleep-in this morning?”  
Donna blushed as she realised what she’d said.  
“Well... I don’t. I’m assuming he did, since he didn’t get here until nearly seven o’clock.”  
“Instead of...?”  
“Instead of just after six o’clock like he has been.”  
“And... how do you know THAT?”  
Donna quickly cleared her throat. “Because Rick told me. Since he’s been back, Mr Redmond has been visiting the loading-bay and warehouse teams when he arrives each morning, and that’s normally just after six o’clock. Except today, when he didn’t get here until nearly seven. Okay?”

There was a pause, then some nervous laughter as the others at the table nodded their understanding. Kayleigh played along, grateful at not having to keep a straight face any longer.

Diane gave an exaggerated sigh of relief. “Jeez, Donna - when you said that about him sleeping in - I thought, “Oh no - not you and him, not just before your wedding.” What a thought.”  
Donna looked shocked. “No! I wouldn’t do that. And John wouldn’t, either.”  
“Eh? “John”? “John” wouldn’t do that?”  
Donna sighed. “Look, I’ve known him for years. See, he was working with Mum when he first started here, and after she... he was lovely to us, me and Dad. Helped me get a job and all.”  
Diane bit her lip. “Sorry D - I didn’t mean to... It just sounded odd, that’s all.”  
Donna got out of her seat. “Well, don’t say things like that about me. Or him. All right? Just... don’t.”  
She scowled at Dianne as she left.

Rachel summed up the feelings of the group. “Fucks’ sake, Diane.”

********************

As the floor staff were leaving the cafeteria, John was making his way back to Dave’s office, his cellphone at his ear. To any casual observer, John seemed to be having a friendly but professional conversation involving timing and priorities.  
SimonB was no casual observer. As one of the three acting Assistant Managers, he’d spent a lot of time watching John go about his business, adapting what he was seeing to his own way of doing things.  
And what he could tell, even from a distance, was that John having to force himself to remain calm as he spoke. Whatever the topic was, John was getting increasingly frustrated by it.

Simon waited five minutes before heading towards Dave’s office. He looked through the open door to confirm that John was there, then knocked on the door frame. “Hey, John?”  
“Hmmm?”  
“You look shattered, mate. Do you want to take a break? Get some fresh air, maybe?” He checked his watch. “Actually, it’s not that long until your lunch break, so... do you want to just go have lunch now?”  
John thought for a moment. “Yeah. That’s a great idea. Um, can I ask a favour?”  
“Shoot.”  
He held up his work phone. “Can you hold on to this bastard for me while I eat?”  
Simon smiled. “Sure. Are there any calls you definitely want to take?”  
John shook his head. “There’s nothing that can’t wait half an hour or so. But if this lot ring,” - he held up a blue folder - “just say I’ll call them sometime around two o’clock. Anything else - just sort it, please.”  
“Done. Enjoy your lunch.”

John's fresh-air time was cut short by the returning rain, so he headed up to the cafeteria knowing it would be empty and he could eat and think in peace.  
That peace lasted just three minutes before SimonG led the Christmas team into the cafeteria. He smiled at John, then his expression changed when he recognised the blue folder on his table. “Sorry, boss - we’ll only be a minute.”  
John finished his mouthful. “No bother.”  
“All right, everyone,” said Simon, “let’s make this quick, please. Grab your drink and let’s get up to the meeting room.”

Kayleigh was third in line. After getting some tea she took the few steps towards the table where John was sitting. “Excuse me. Mr Redmond?”  
John looked up from his sandwich. “Yes?”  
“Sorry to interrupt, but I’ve just been invited out for the evening so I won’t need a lift home tonight. I hope I’ve not left it too late to tell you.”  
“No, not at all. Um, well, have a nice night, then.”  
“Oh, thank you.”  
With a nod, John turned back to his lunch and Kayleigh joined the Christmas team as they left.

********************

“Well?” asked Helen. “How do you think it’s going?”  
SimonG shrugged. “Really don’t know.”  
Helen had volunteered to do the late shift all week so hadn’t arrived until after two o’clock. The standard procedure was to head straight to the Assistant Managers’ office for an update on the state of the store, but neither of the Simons had much actual news to share.  
SimonG continued. “John was looking completely fed up with the whole thing just before two, and he’s been on that call for about forty minutes so far. Guess we’ll just have to wait.”  
There was a triple-knock on the door.  
“Or not,” he continued. “Come in, John.”  
John walked in and closed the door behind him. “Hey guys. Hi Helen. You all right?”  
“I am,” she replied. “How about you? The guys were just telling me about your day.”  
“I’m doing better now it’s all been sorted. What a performance! I know times are hard for some firms at the moment, but it was almost like they didn’t want our business.” He shook his head. “Madness.”  
“So?” she asked. “What’s the plan, then?”  
“Oh, right. The plan is to have them come in and do prep-work for a couple of hours this Thursday and Friday evening, starting about five-thirty when there’s fewer staff around. Then it’s all go for the weekend, with early starts both days.” He rubbed his eyes. “Plus we’ve got a callback-option for Monday evening in case we find anything that isn’t quite right.”  
“That’s great. You must be pleased.”  
“Right now I’m more relieved than anything else. I should have realised that the mix of hours on the different days would be a sticking point, but... Yeah. Done now. What I am looking forward to is seeing the place on Monday with all the work having been done. And I think the staff will appreciate it as well.”  
His smile faded when his work-phone rang, but then returned when he noted who was calling. “Excuse me, guys.” He was already heading for the door. “Hi Litchy. Thanks for calling me back. Mate, I need a favour. Two favours, in fact...”

********************

With John in a much better mood his afternoon seemed to pass quickly. He completed the handover to Helen and walked out of Dave’s office just on five o’clock. After a quick diversion to the bakery and the dairy aisle, John was soon heading out of the main doors.  
He paused, eyes moving left and right, until... There. He stepped forward.  
“Hello Mr Redmond.”  
“Hello, Elsie. Just quickly - I’ve read your write-up of the standing stools you’ve been using here and at home. Nice work.”  
“Well, Mr Barrett did most of it.”  
John shook his head. “No, he didn’t. He told me he did little more than help you work out what you wanted to say and suggest how you might organise it. There’s no need to be modest about this, Elsie. You should be proud of what you wrote.”  
“Oh, thank you.”  
“You’re very welcome. Good night, Elsie.”  
“Good night, Mr Redmond.”  
Elsie was still smiling as “Little Blue” drove slowly past, watching as it headed towards the main exit before turning left and disappearing into the traffic.

Kayleigh walked out the main door soon afterwards. She noticed the smile. “Hey, Elsie. What are you all happy about, then?”  
“Mr Redmond was just telling me how good he thought my write-up was.”  
Kayleigh’s smile matched Elsie’s. “I did tell you it was good, didn’t I?”  
“Yes, you did.”  
“Good night, Elsie.”  
“Night, kid. See you tomorrow.” Her eyes flicked upwards. “Watch out for the rain.”

********************

John drove the few miles to his new regular tea-stop. The short queue at the drive-through meant he was soon parked and relaxing in his seat, sipping his drink while trying to make sense of his afternoon, all the while being vaguely aware of other customers’ cars taking and vacating the spaces around him.  
His slight frown faded away at the sound of gentle tapping to his right. He rolled down his window.  
“Well. Fancy seeing you here, Mr Redmond.”  
“Well. What a pleasant surprise, Miss Kitson.”

Kayleigh leaned through the window and kissed him - playfully at first, then with an intensity John hadn’t expected. He was left slightly stunned, simply watching as she walked around the car and got into the passenger seat where she sat, smiling sweetly.  
John took a moment. “Wow. So... um, what’s the occasion?”  
“No occasion. I’ve just been looking forward to this all day.”  
“Yeah. So have I.”  
They were both quiet for a moment before John remembered where they were and regained his composure. “Oh, yes. Your tea,” he said, pointing at the the second cup holder.  
“What? No muffin?”  
“Not tonight. Don’t want to spoil your appetite.”  
“Interesting. Are you actually going to tell me what we’re having?”  
“Not just yet. Well, actually, there’s no point, because you told everyone that you’ve been invited out for the evening.”  
“I have, yeah.”  
“What sort of evening?”  
Kayleigh sipped her tea. “I believe it’s basically a quiet drink before dinner.”  
“That sounds nice.”  
“Does, doesn’t it?”  
John nodded towards the Price-family Citroen parked alongside. “Where’d you park up today?”  
“Parking building two streets up from work.”  
“Oh, yeah.” He made a face. “How much did that cost ya?”  
“Too much. You know how the big sign says “From only two pounds”? It should say “A really long way from only two pounds.” Thieves.”  
“Thieves,” John agreed.

“I have to say, John - I did enjoy being a bit sneaky today. Think anyone actually fell for it?”  
“Not sure,” he replied, “but I did see Rachel on the way here. Bit of luck, that.”  
Kayleigh looked unimpressed. “How exactly is that lucky?”  
“Simple. I was at the lights when she was crossing the road, and we both waved, as you do. So she definitely saw that I was my own. Then there’s what you said in the cafeteria about not needing a lift home tonight. What did you tell people you were actually doing?”  
“Going out with Mandy, to celebrate her pay rise.”  
“Right...”  
“Which we did last night.” She shrugged. “I may have gotten my days wrong. What can I say?”  
John nodded. “Very good. And we know that Radio Elsie saw us leave separately...”  
Kayleigh giggled.  
“It’s all good.” John sipped his tea. “Drink up. Dinner’s calling.”

********************

Cold rain was falling when they got to John’s house. He parked in the small garage then hurried back to the Citroen, using his umbrella to shelter them both during the quick dash inside.  
“Oooh, bit cold in here,” said Kayleigh. “Think I’ll put my trackies on.”  
“Right. I’ve put your hanger on the door knob in there,” John replied, indicating the small side room. “I’ll get the heater on.”

The small room was colder than the lounge so Kayleigh wasted no time emptying her backpack onto the floor before changing clothes and putting her skirt on the padded hanger she’d left there on their last takeaways-date. She slid her latest purchase straight over her shirt then walked out into an empty lounge. “Um... John?”  
“In here.”  
Kayleigh walked through to the kitchen where John was peeling potatoes. He glanced at her before returning to his task. “Is that a new hoodie?”  
“Yeah - just got it.”  
“It looks great on you. Feeling warmer yet?”  
“Getting there.” She looked at the bench. “You’ve got the slow cooker out!”  
“Yep. Beef casserole. I’m doing some mash to go with it.”  
“When did you get it set up?”  
“This morning, before work.”  
“No wonder you’re looking tired. Can I give you a hand with that?”  
“No, no - it’s all right.” He turned to her. “I didn’t invite you here to sort the spuds out.”  
“I know, but at least let me do something.”  
“All right. Well... can you refill the kettle, please? Oh, and get a small bag of mixed vegetables from the freezer. Just ‘wave them and mix them in with the casserole, yeah?”

They were soon working together as a team, John getting the potatoes prepped and boiling while Kayleigh cooked the frozen vegetables before stirring them into the casserole. As she lifted the lid the smell of the beef quickly filled the kitchen and had them both smiling.

With that sorted, John took the opportunity for a quick tidy-up. “Well, that’s that. Dinner’s in about twenty minutes.”  
“John - I am a bit peckish. Can we have something just for now?”  
“Sure. I also got some baguettes,” he looked around the kitchen, “that I’ve left on the table. If you cut one up we can have that while we wait for the potatoes. I’ll just go and get changed.”

When he came back downstairs he saw that Kayleigh had taken charge of the remotes, setting the temperature in the room and turning Sky on. He walked towards the kitchen but stopped when Kayleigh raised her hand. “No, no - it’s all fine in there. I’ve just checked it. Come sit with me for a little while.”  
He joined her on the two-seater couch and they shared the bread that she had cut and buttered. John was nodding. “That’s good bread, that. I got it from the store on my way out tonight.”  
“I know. I watched you as you left.”  
“You did what?”  
“You said we shouldn’t leave at the same time, so I made sure you’d gone before I went myself. And it was really nice what you said to Elsie. About what she wrote, I mean.”  
“She did really well. Simon was genuinely impressed at how enthusiastic she was about it. Seems his main job was to get her to stop talking and actually write things down.”

Kayleigh took another piece of bread. “You remember what I said at the tea-stop earlier, about this not being an occasion?”  
“Not really...”  
Kayleigh leaned in and kissed him. “Remember now?”  
A smile. “Oh, yeah...”  
“I’ve just realised that this is an occasion. Of sorts.”  
“Which is?”  
“This is the first time you’ve invited me around for dinner. Where you’ve made dinner for me, I mean.”  
“Don’t be too hasty - you’ve not eaten it yet.”  
She smiled. “Actually, I have.”  
“Really?”  
“I “tested” a little bit while you were upstairs just now. That’s what I meant about it being “all fine in there.” It tastes great. It really does. That’s why I didn’t cut up much bread, because I want to enjoy as much of our dinner as I can.”

As they ate, John noticed that Kayleigh was occasionally glancing at him before looking quickly away. He touched her hand. “What?”  
“I’ve been wondering why you invited me here tonight, instead of - I don’t know - trying one of the new places we’ve been told about.”  
“I wanted to do something a little different. Don’t get me wrong - I enjoy it when we go out, and takeaways are always fun, but...”  
His voice trailed off.  
Kayleigh could see he was carefully weighing up his words so resisted the urge to speak, instead giving his hand a gentle squeeze of encouragement. He didn’t keep her waiting long.  
“You’ve been so patient, what with me... being me, and everything that’s been going on at work, and me being moved around, and things still not completely settled...”  
A deep breath.  
“It was time that I showed you how much I appreciate that. And not just this once, either.”  
She noted a brief look of alarm flit across on his face.  
“But right now I should be making sure those potatoes don’t boil dry, or you may never want to come back.” He smiled as he got up. “This won’t take long.”

Kayleigh waited until she heard the distinctive sound of water being poured into a sink followed by metal rubbing against metal before she followed John into the kitchen. He looked up from the potatoes he was mashing. “You’re okay with butter and milk in this, right?”  
“Absolutely. While you do that, shall I set the table?”  
“Yes, please.”

********************

After finishing dinner and dessert, John tidied the bench and pre-rinsed the dishes as Kayleigh made hot drinks. She set them on the small coffee table in front of the two-seater in the lounge and waited for John to come in. “Come sit with me.”  
He sat carefully, giving her a respectful amount of space.  
“That’s not sitting with me. Come closer.” She produced a packet of biscuits from her bag as he shuffled across. “Hobnob?”  
“Lovely.”

After a few minutes sitting quietly Kayleigh gently nudged his shoulder. “Can I ask you something?”  
“Sure.”  
“Are you planning to make some changes to this place?”  
“Pardon?”  
“You have a blue folder marked “Renovations” on the table.”  
“Oh! No. No, that’s the work that we’re getting done at the store this weekend.”  
“Right. Is that the stuff in the cafeteria and bathrooms you’ve talked about?”  
“That’s it, along with a few other things we’ve added to that list. Finally got it sorted today.”  
“Does that include the special work for Butchery and Seafoods?”  
“Actually, no. That won’t be happening until the end of January, thanks to Area.”  
“Why? What did they do?”  
“They said No. Told me today that it was too disruptive to do all that just before Christmas and that I had to put it off for a few weeks. It’ll still get done, but the teams will just have to wait.”  
He was quiet for a moment, then turned to her. “And I’ve not told them yet, so not a word, please.”

Kayleigh nodded. “So, is that it for the year? The last of the things you need to organise around the store, I mean.”  
“Almost - just need to sort out what days I’ll be working through Christmas and New Year itself. But as far as the store goes, the next big thing is what you and the Christmas team have been putting together. From what I’ve heard from Helen and Simon, what you’ve been doing is possibly better than anything the store’s ever had before. And I hope you’ve enjoyed it - the chance to do something a bit different, I mean.”  
“It’s been interesting, all right. But surely the next big thing is actually the Christmas “Do” next Friday.”  
John made a face.  
Kayleigh frowned. “You are going, aren’t you?”  
“I didn’t plan to, but... yeah. Helen guilted me into going.”  
“How’d she do that?”  
“By saying “the Store Manager has to go to the store’s Christmas function.” And she’s making me give a speech as well.”  
Kayleigh failed to stifle a smile. “So what’s your speech about, then?”  
“No idea. Haven’t written it yet. Suppose I’d better.”  
He shook his head at her smirk. “I hate giving speeches. Always have. But if I say nothing it’ll look like I’m snubbing Helen and her team, if I don’t say very much it’ll look like I’m only doing the bare minimum because I’ve been told to-”  
“Which you have,” she interrupted.  
“Which I have,” he conceded, “and if I do a “Dave” and drone on it’ll look like I’m trying to draw attention away from what her team has organised.” He sighed. “Arse.”

Kayleigh waited for John to stop shaking his head. “There’s another thing I’ve been meaning to ask. How is it that Helen ended up running the Christmas Team and organising the Christmas “Do” at the same time?”  
“That was Dave’s doing. With me in Area the Christmas Team had to be taken on by one of the Assistant Managers so Helen and SimonG both took it on. And then he just nominated Helen and SimonB to work on the “Do” itself. When I got brought back I could see they had everything under control so I left them to it. Plus, it was too late to be making changes to either of those teams anyway.”  
“Really? So how was it that Rachel ended up working on the Christmas “Do” at the last minute, then?”  
“Because Helen asked for an extra person and suggested Rachel. Rachel was happy to do it and I didn’t see any reason why she shouldn’t.”

A question formed in John’s mind but he decided he didn’t need to know the answer. He changed tack.  
“I think that’s enough work-talk for tonight, don’t you? I’d just like to sit and relax for a while.”  
Kayleigh leaned against him. “I’d like that too. Should we watch something?”  
“Sure. You’ve got the remote. You pick.”  
“Right. Anything in particular?”  
“How about something funny?”  
“Oh, John. Do you need cheering up?”  
“I like to hear you laugh.”  
Kayleigh nodded. “Let’s see what we can find...”

The next hour started with Kayleigh demonstrating her channel-surfing skills while failing to find anything half-decent on TV, but in the end they resorted to a repeat of a property program where the interplay between the two presenters was arguably more interesting than the process of finding houses for the featured couples. Kayleigh was convinced there was more going on with the presenters than met the eye. John was sceptical but Kayleigh was adamant: “Friends don’t look at each other like that, John. They just don’t.”

In the limited time they’d spent together since the day John’s car had been totalled, they had quickly realised that they enjoyed simply being together, even when it seemed they had little to say.  
What Kayleigh didn’t expect was how natural and comfortable it felt to be leaning against John, her head resting on his shoulder.

Too comfortable, in fact.

********************

She woke with a start; initially unsure where she was, then wondering why she was alone. “John? John!”  
“Over here.”  
She looked around to see John sitting at the table. He smiled. “Hello again.”  
“Why are you sitting over there?”  
“I made room so you could spread out a bit, get more comfy.”  
She yawned. “What time is it?”  
“Not even nine. I was going to wake you in a few minutes anyway.”  
She hesitated. “I didn’t snore, did I?”  
“Not at all,” he lied.

Another yawn. “Oh, John. I was supposed to be helping you in the kitchen.”  
“It’s all done. There’s a container of leftovers in there for you. Should be great for lunch tomorrow. Good for warming you up.”  
“But what about you?”  
“There was plenty left over for both of us. I won’t be going hungry, don’t you worry.”  
“But won’t it look a bit suspicious if we’re both having the same thing for lunch tomorrow?”  
“Not likely. My lunch break is well before yours, and there’s no one else in the cafeteria when I’m there. No one is going to notice. And if they do - so what? Lots of people have beef casserole for dinner, don’t they?”  
“I guess so. Sure.”

John walked over and sat next to Kayleigh, taking her hand in his.  
“Um... don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re going to have start thinking about going home soon.”  
Kayleigh made a face. “You’re not trying to get rid of me, are you?”  
“Far from it. But your Mandy is wanting to use the car first-thing in the morning, right?”  
Kayleigh sighed. “Yeah...”

********************

It was a subdued John that closed the front door after seeing Kayleigh away. His lounge that had seemed full just minutes earlier now felt empty. And colder.

His mood was lifted by the text he received while ironing his shirt:  
“Home safe. Mandy very jealous of my leftovers lunch”

But it was the next text that made him laugh:  
“Steve asks that you not try so hard next time. You’re making him look bad”


	3. Friday morning, three days ago

It was a different John that was late in joining the senior staff in the eight-thirty meeting. The cheerful version of yesterday had been replaced by this version that clearly had something on his mind. The small meeting room was quiet when he arrived.  
He placed his notepad on the table and looked around. “All right, everyone. We’ve got a lot to cover so let’s get started.”

He cleared his throat. “You may have seen some markings in various areas around the cafeteria. Last night the builders came in to do the first set of checks before the renovations this weekend. They’ll be doing more of the same tonight in the staff-only bathrooms and lockers. They start the renovations themselves tomorrow morning and aim to be done sometime on Sunday afternoon.”

There were no comments or questions so he moved on.

“The first of the temporary staff start this afternoon. It’s the same deal as last year. They’ve had the company-level induction so we’ll just need to get them familiar with the store layout and safety procedures, then divvy them up and have them moving stock around. The temps with previous experience on the checkouts get here next Tuesday.”

Again, no questions.

“Curtis McVie finishes up today. Head Office rang this morning to remind me that we have to take the exact same approach as we did for Debbie Forrster. So - no leeway, no fuss or recognition that it’s his last day.” He turned to Craig. “As soon as Curtis gets here, remind him what’s expected of him today, then watch him like a hawk. At five, go with him to collect his gear then get him up to HR.”  
“Understood,” Craig replied. “Are you still wanting to be the one who shows him the door at the end of the day?”  
“Yes.”  
A few eyebrows were raised at this but no one spoke.

John look suspiciously at the group before continuing. “There’s been a complaint made by one member of the staff against another. For reasons I won’t get into I can’t get involved if it escalates, but I’ve arranged for Ian Litchfield from our Wigan store to step in if required.  
Ian will also be the main on-call contact from this evening right through until Monday morning, as I won’t be available at all this weekend. I’ll be confirming his contact details with all the Acting Managers today.”

There were a few nods but nothing more.

“Lastly, just a reminder that we’ll be back as a 24-hour operation starting one week from Monday. As in, ten days from now, running right through to mid-January.”

Notes were taken but nothing was said.

“Is there any other business?”  
The room was quiet.  
“Nothing at all?”  
Heads were shaking.  
“All right, then. Let’s have a good day, yeah?”

He noted that Roisin remained seated while the others got up to leave. He didn’t speak until the door had closed behind the last of the seniors, then turned to Roisin. “They were quiet. Is there something I should know about?”  
“Cath rang first-thing to remind me about today. She suggested I pass it on.”  
“Ah. Okay. Okay.”

********************

The door to the admin-support office was half-open but John knocked on the door anyway.  
“Come in.”  
He walked in to see Pat Smythe and Brenda Kelson at their desks.  
“Good morning, Pat.”  
“Good morning, Mr Redmond.”  
His voice softened. “Morning, Brenda.”  
“Morning, John.”  
“I have the contact details for Ian Litchfield for this weekend. Actually, from five o’clock tonight. Who else is on with you this weekend?”  
“It’s James both days,” Brenda replied. “I’ll give him copies of Ian’s details when I hand over tomorrow afternoon.”  
“Very good. Well, I’m due to take a call from Area shortly, so I’ll be off. See you both later.”  
Brenda spoke quickly. “John, wait.”

Pat had thought nothing about their chat, having overheard plenty of similar conversations between the two. What she didn’t expect was to see Brenda get up and embrace John, her hand gently rubbing his back while she murmured something that Pat couldn’t make out. John said nothing, barely moving his head. They were both quiet for a few moments before Brenda released her hold. She looked at him sympathetically before patting his arm. He nodded slowly, then left.  
After the door closed, Pat turned to Brenda. “Hey, what just happened?”  
Brenda glanced at the closed door then turned to Pat. “Today is a year since his Dad died.”

********************

Neither of John’s phones had been quiet for long all morning so at eleven o’clock he gave his work-phone to SimonB and commandeered the small meeting room for thirty minutes so he could try to eat his lunch in peace. That peace lasted just five minutes before his personal phone rang. But this time he smiled.  
“Hi Cath.”  
“Hey, you. I’ve been trying to call you for over an hour. Your cell’s been busy the whole time.”  
“Well, you’re about the sixth person to call me so far. First up was Alan Campbell, which I didn’t expect. Did you give him a heads-up about today?”  
“No, the only person I told was Roisin. Did anyone else remember?”  
“From here? Brenda, Sanjay and Donna. But Litchy and Peter both called, along with Caroline and Doctor Penman.”  
“Okay. Okay. So. How are you doing, John? And, why didn’t you take today off? No one would have minded.”  
“After the drama of sorting out builders for the weekend, I thought I should turn up in case there were any last-minute worries. But it’s been good. And I’m good. Just a bit tired, that’s all.”  
“I’m glad to hear it.”  
“The more interesting question is - how are you? Where are you, actually?”  
“I’m at Francie’s. We had a couple of drinks after her flight landed, and then quite a few more... and I’m still here.”  
“You left Muffin on her own at home? She won’t be happy, having no one in the house to boss around.”  
Cath chuckled. “She’s got an automatic feeder that I pre-loaded with extra treats. She’ll be all right for a few more hours.”  
Both were quiet for a moment.  
“John, are you going to be all right tomorrow?”  
“Oh, sure. It’ll be fine. We’ve got the memorial with the extended group in the morning, then it’s just the family back at Paul’s for the afternoon. Cross your fingers that the weather picks up, okay?”  
There was a knock at the meeting-room door, followed by a familiar voice. “Sorry John - we need a word.”  
“Just give me thirty seconds,” he replied. He sighed. “Sorry, Cath - looks like it’ll be one of those days.”  
“Not a problem for me. Go do some of that manager-shit.”  
“Yeah. Wish Francie a Happy Birthday for me, please.”  
“I will. Bye John.”  
“See ya.”

He ended the call then took a bite from his sandwich.  
“Come in, guys.”  
Both Simons walked in. Neither sat down.  
“Sorry to interrupt your lunch, but you should know that Donna’s complaint against Diane is being escalated. They couldn’t work it out and Donna wants to take it further.”  
John shook his head. “I should have known. Right. Go back to their supervisors and get them all in a room again this afternoon to see if they can’t work it out. In the meantime...”

********************

It was just after five o’clock when John heard the knocking on the office-door frame. He looked up.  
“He’s just gone in,” said Craig.  
“Very good.”

John waited two minutes, then walked the short distance to the HR office where he stood quietly by the door. It was opened soon afterwards and John stepped in to see that Pamela had drawn the short straw.  
“... so your final pay will be in your bank account on Monday. And that’s everything done, Curtis.” Her eyes flicked up. “Mr Redmond is here to show you out.”  
Curtis turned in the chair. “Really? What an honour.”

Neither man spoke as they walked through the store and out the main doors, at which point John turned to Curtis.  
“Do you mind if I ask why you decided to leave? It would have taken a few seconds to sign the declaration and keep your job, so why didn’t you?”  
“I thought you weren’t allowed to ask the staff that question.”  
“We’re not, but... you’re not staff any more, are you?”

Curtis hesitated. “Because of you.”  
“Eh?”  
“Look at you. Spent half your life here, and for what? If I signed that thing I might end up just like you - spending years in the place, achieving nothing and going nowhere.”  
“Hardly nowhere.”  
“Bullshit. You’re the assistant manager in a level-three store in this... dreary shithole. And this is as good as it’s ever going to get for you. And do you know why?”  
John bristled. “I assume you’re referring to the hatchet-job done on my career by Dave Thompson and his mates, all the times my applications and transfer-requests were blocked as well as the times I simply wasn’t told about other opportunities. Plus other stuff, no doubt.”  
Curtis looked surprised. “So you do know?” Then a pitying look. “And yet you’re still here, still putting up with it. My uncle said that about you - you’re known for having no spine, no self-respect.”  
“Is this the uncle that was tipped as our next CEO? The same uncle that got himself sacked for sniffing around the accounting system? Not so clever, that.”  
“True,” Curtis conceded, “but it’s not the end of the world. He’s already got another job - called in a favour with an old mate of his. And while he’s not the top dog in the new place, he’s not exactly sweeping the floors, either.”  
“From what I hear, your uncle was about three mouse-clicks away from being arrested for fraud. I don’t think any company will be letting him get too far up the ladder.”  
Curtis shrugged. “Just like you in this place, right?”

They were both quiet for a moment, then Curtis smirked.  
“Isn’t this the point where you ask about my plans, wish me good luck and offer to shake my hand, then?”  
John glared at him. “I’ll pass.”  
“Huh. Finally took a stand on something.” Curtis turned to leave. “But not about something that counts, right?”

John stood and watched Curtis walk towards the main exit.

“Fuck, I hate that guy,” he muttered.

********************

It was the second evening where Kayleigh had volunteered to stay an extra half-hour to restock the shelves. She’d been initially sceptical of John’s suggestion but soon saw it as a double-win, in that it was easy money for half an hour of simple work that didn’t involve putting on a fake smile (a bonus in itself), plus it was a good way to kill half an hour before getting a lift home with John.  
Tonight she’d been paired up with Samuel, one of the temporary staff on his first day. Once he got over his nervousness they’d made a good team, where Kayleigh passed each item to Samuel who then used his height and reach to fill the highest shelves.  
In good company and in good humour, Kayleigh’s half-hour passed quickly. 

She had been standing outside the staff-only entrance for less than five minutes when John walked out, his phone to his ear. When he saw Kayleigh he pointed to his phone, shrugged then walked a few paces away.  
Samuel walked out a few moments later. He took the hand of a pretty brunette wearing a school uniform, then led her over to where Kayleigh was standing.

From his position John watched Samuel introduce the two women before the three started chatting. What quickly became apparent to John was that Kayleigh soon had her “work smile” on and she was clearly in “nod and agree” mode. He noted that her smile faded as the young couple walked away.  
As soon as his call ended he walked over. “Hi. You ready to go?”  
“Yeah.”  
“Are you all right?”  
“Yep.”  
“Sure? You don’t want to-”  
“No.” She took a moment. “I’d just like to go. But can we stop for a drink and bite to eat, please?”  
John nodded. “Okay.”

********************

For the first time in a few weeks Kayleigh had opted for a muffin with a double-load of chocolate chips. “So, then. What’s the plan for the weekend?”  
“Well, I’m taking Rose to Mum’s tonight. I’ll meet up with everyone at the church for the ceremony in the morning. The adults, I mean.”  
“Whose idea was it to leave the children out of it?”  
“Mum’s. She wanted the ceremony to be for the immediate family along with Dad’s closest friends plus some people from the church, but thought that having children there would be too distracting. You know - it’ll be quite formal and they’ll just get bored. Best they stay home.”  
“I suppose. So who is looking after Ben and Sophie in the morning?”  
“Camille.”  
“Who?”  
“Monique’s sister. She’ll be looking after them at Paul’s in the morning, then heading off when we go back there.”  
“Why wouldn’t she stay on?”  
“She’s got work in the afternoon. Up the Children’s Hospital. Anyway, it’ll just be the family there for the rest of the day.”  
He glanced at Kayleigh. “Mum’s idea, again.”  
She nodded. “And Sunday?”  
“Don’t know. Haven’t given it much thought, you see. Been wrapped up in work, then thinking about how tomorrow’s going to go.”  
Kayleigh touched his arm. “If you want to talk at all afterwards...”  
John nodded, then went quiet. He worried a nail for a few moments before glancing at the clock on the dashboard. “Hey, what was that business with Samuel tonight, then?”  
Kayleigh sighed. “He told his girlfriend that I reminded him of his last maths teacher at school.”  
John thought about this. “Um...”  
“My last maths teacher was a horrible, bitter old woman, who told us she hated children then made our school year a misery,” said Kayleigh. “Not exactly a flattering thing to say.”  
“I don’t think he would have wanted to introduce you to his girlfriend if he thought you were anything like that.”  
“I suppose.”  
“More likely is that he meant you’re thoughtful.  
And kind.”  
He paused.  
“With beautiful eyes.”  
Kayleigh sat quietly, her mouth agape.  
“Probably not that last bit, though.”


	4. Monday morning

As he’d done for most of the previous week, John had deferred to one of the Assistant Managers to run the eight-thirty meeting. This morning Helen was “it”.

“I’m assuming you’ll have all seen the repairs and touch-up work that was done, or at least seen the list of things that was worked on,” she began. “We’ve gone back to them about a couple of things that aren’t quite right - the small leak under the first hand basin in the mens’ being one of them - and they’ll be sorted tomorrow night. Otherwise, it’s looking good so far.”  
John spoke up. “Obviously, it’s disappointing that we can’t get the renovation work done in Seafood and Butchery in the next few weeks, but Area squashed that idea, saying it’s not acceptable to have that level of disruption in those sections just on Christmas. Even bringing in another firm and splitting the work between them wouldn’t fly. So those renovations just have to wait.”  
He looked at his notepad. “At this stage that work is being lined up to start in late-January, in two blocks. Dave Thompson will be back by then so will be getting that finalised and done. In the meantime, though, both areas will have their replacement equipment installed on Thursday.”  
He put his notepad down.  
“So. Not ideal. But better than before.”  
There were no reactions so he continued.  
“Take a closer look at what was worked on, and pass any concerns to myself or Simon so they can be included on the job list for tomorrow night.”  
John waited while notes were taken. “Right. Moving on...  
The complaint that I mentioned last week was resolved on Friday without needing to be escalated. Without going into details, it was a situation that shouldn’t have happened in the first place, and the pair of them were able to sit down and talk it through. And once the admin is done, that will be the end of it.”

He looked at his notepad.  
“The latest photos from Alison Thompson are up on the noticeboard in the cafeteria. Thanks again to Roisin for organising more flowers.”

He waited for the murmurs to stop.

“Now. I want to briefly talk about the Christmas Do.”  
Helen looked surprised. He pressed on before she could speak.  
“Everything has been sorted for this Friday night. Helen and the team have done themselves proud. Helen, Simon and the team, I mean. I’m really pleased with what has been organised for everyone, and I’m looking forward to it.”  
He glanced at Helen. “Except for having to give a speech. Not looking forward to that.”  
There were a few titters, during which John’s smile disappeared.  
“What I’m not pleased about is the grumbling that I’m hearing. The comments cover pretty much everything about it - the make-up of the organising team, when it’s on, where it’ll be and the meals being served. The time for that kind of “feedback” - if you can call it that - was weeks ago, not five days out. If any of you hear that kind of noise, just squash it. Remind whoever says it that they don’t actually have to go.”

He looked at each person in turn. “Now. Is there anything that anyone wants to raise?”  
Craig spoke up. “Can I ask about the maintenance and renovations over the last week or so?”  
“Sure.”  
“Um... how is it they were even considered? I ask, because, well, Dave told us not to bother mentioning that sort of thing in the budget planning session earlier this year, and yet...”  
John nodded. “Yeah, I remember. Fair question. Here’s how I see it. I’m filling in for Dave until Alison is well enough for him to come back. My job, therefore, is to carry on with the work that Dave was doing, plus what he would be expected to do if he was here. And that means I don’t sit on my hands and ignore things that need doing. That’s why the maintenance work got done.  
As for the renovations... long overdue, in my opinion. And Area agreed. They just didn’t agree that now was the time to do them.”  
Craig nodded.

“Anything else?”  
There was no response.  
“No? Well,” John paused, “I have one last thing.”  
The group recognised the tone of his voice. All heads turned.  
“Trevor Simms was accepted into the Hospice during the weekend.”  
Trevor Simms - “Trevor on the back door” - had been off work since being diagnosed with an aggressive disease less than three months earlier.  
“I went to see him last night,” John continued. “They’ve got him comfortable,” he paused, “but he won’t be seeing any more visitors.”  
The implication of his words left the room completely silent, with more than one person blinking away tears.

John waited a few moments before clearing his throat. “That’s it.” He nodded towards the door.

As he’d expected, Helen remained seated while the others left. John waited for the door to close before turning to her. “Come on, then. Out with it.”  
“I didn’t need you defending me, you know.”  
“I wasn’t defending you at all.”  
“Sounded like it.”  
“Wasn’t my intention.”  
“Well-”  
“Well, nothing,” he snapped. He took a deep breath. “My point was that Dave chose you and Simon to organise the Do this year. The fact that the team is mostly women is neither here nor there in my opinion. What counts is that you all got it done. And I meant what I said - if any of the staff, including a couple that were just in here, if anyone has an issue with who you selected for the team, or anything about the Do itself, they should have raised it at the beginning. Not with less than a week to go.”  
He narrowed his eyes.  
“And don’t ask how my speech is coming along.”

He could tell she was weighing up what to say, so got in first.  
“Store check, please. Now.”  
Helen left without a word.

********************

John took the long way back to Dave’s office. Simon was waiting outside. “Christ. Not you as well.”  
John opened the door and followed Simon in. They sat at the table. “What?”  
“Penny for your thoughts, boss?”  
“Hmmm?”  
“What’s going on? And I don’t mean Trevor.”  
John looked at the floor for a moment. “I’m an idiot.”  
“Bit harsh.”  
“I am, though. Rookie mistake. I’ve been saying “I’ll do this, that and the other,” and it’s turned out I can barely get “this” done. What I should have said is, “I will do everything I can to try to make these happen.” For exactly this situation.”  
“I... I don’t get how that makes a difference.”  
John leaned back. “Here’s how I see it. I’m here because I got pulled from the project. I didn’t want to come back, and I’m doing what needs doing, but still...”  
“Right. But with Dave looking after Alison, what can you do?”  
“Yeah, I know, but... for me to not have sorted the renovations like I said I would, something that both areas were dead keen on - makes it look like I had no intention of really trying.”  
Simon scoffed. “Oh, sure. Someone might think that - if they were a moron. Look. Shit happens. And we’re coming up to Christmas when businesses are both busy and looking to take time off for themselves, and it’s not like you didn’t try. If you’d just said “there’s no renovations but you’ve got new knives and stuff so don’t complain” - now that would be a shit thing to say.”  
John chuckled.  
“Are you still planning to give Butchery their special fancy-pants training, now that the renovations aren’t until next year?”  
“Yeah, that’s happening next week.”  
“Well. Hell. No one’s actually missing out on much, are they?”

********************

By two o’clock the usual late-lunch shoppers had been and gone, and Kayleigh was refilling the display stand with the prepacked pastas that had proven so popular.  
She felt a gentle nudge. “Hey kid.”  
Kayleigh smiled. “Hey Elsie.”  
“Take a look outside.”  
“Where?”  
“Out front.” Elsie was pointing discreetly out the main window. “Just there.”  
Kayleigh lifted her head to see John having a conversation with a very tall blonde with an all-over tan. “Huh. Who’s that?”  
“No idea. But she’s not feeling cold, is she?” A giggle. “I mean,” she whispered, “could that skirt be any shorter? If she sneezes, look out.”  
Kayleigh sniggered despite herself. “Elsie!”

They watched as John took her left hand and brought it close to his face.  
Kayleigh frowned. “Elsie - what’s he doing? Is it a Catholic thing?”  
“No, kid. I believe he’s getting a good look at her ring.”  
They both sniggered at that.  
“Elsie - stop that. People will get suspicious if they see we’re having a good time at work.”

Kayleigh was still giggling as she turned her attention back to the display stand. Then Elsie’s tone changed. “Oh, hello.”  
“What?”  
“It’s Cath.”  
Kayleigh’s smile faded. “Oh, right.”  
She looked up to see Cath’s arms around John and her lips close to his ear.  
“Okay...” said Elsie. “Wonder what that’s about?”  
“About the weekend, most likely.”  
“Hmmm?”  
“They had a memorial service for his Dad on the weekend.”  
Elsie looked at her blankly.  
“He died a year ago.”  
“Oh! Of course. I’d forgotten. This year’s gone quick, hasn’t it?”  
“It has.”

The pair stood silently as Cath held John, both seemingly oblivious to everyone moving around them. She eventually started patting his back before relaxing her hold and taking his hands, speaking all the while. Kayleigh continued to watch, only vaguely aware that Elsie had gone back to the Deli.  
By this time Cath and John had moved apart. She saw Cath brush the tip of John’s nose with her finger and the tall blonde briefly touch John’s arm before the two women turned and left.  
John watched them leave, his head dropping briefly before he turned and walked back into the store. He headed straight up the aisle towards Kayleigh, waiting a short distance away until a customer moved past. “Hi. Do you have a minute?”  
“Sure.”  
“Cath’s asked me to feed her cat on the way home. Do you mind if we stop there on the way, or would you prefer that I drop you home and then go back?”  
“No, there’s no need to do that.”  
“But it’ll be an extra half-hour or so getting you home, that’s all.”  
Kayleigh shrugged. “That’s okay. Um...”  
“Yes?”  
“Who was that I saw you with just now?”  
“Just outside, you mean?”  
“Yes.”  
“That’s Francie. Cath’s sister.”  
“Really?”  
“Yep.”  
“She’s Francie?”  
“Yep.”  
“But... she looks nothing like Cath. How can they be sisters?”  
“They’re adopted. Them two and Petra.”  
“Oh. Oh! I didn’t know that.”  
“Not many people do. Anyway, I’ll let you get back to it. You’re stocking shelves again, right?”  
“I am.”  
“Right then. I’ll meet you at the car at half-five.”

********************

At five-forty John was sitting in “Little Blue”, listening to the rain while alternately writing then crossing out notes in his notepad. The sound of the passenger door opening was a welcome distraction. “Evening, Miss.”  
“Evening Mister. What ya up to?”  
“Working on my speech for Friday.”  
“Oh, right. How’s that going?”  
He closed his notepad. “Not well.”  
She patted his arm. “I’m sure you’ll sort it.”  
“Yeah. So. How was it doing the shelves tonight? Who was it with you?”  
“That was Lena. Apparently she was temping at the store last Christmas, but I don’t remember seeing her at all.”  
“Hmmm. Could have been doing the overnight shift or the weekends.”  
“I suppose. Anyway. Where shall we go?”  
“How about “our” place? I fancy a toastie or two.”  
“Sounds good.”  
“We won’t be too late getting you home. You know - with feeding Muffin.”  
“It’ll be fine, John. No need to rush.”

“Their” place was the small table in the far corner of the quiet cafe just minutes from the store.  
Kayleigh had been quiet since they’d started eating. John had noticed but thought little of it as there was no tension between them that he could feel.  
But Kayleigh’s mind had been racing. She couldn’t wait much longer so started to drag her knife across the plate. John didn’t react so she dropped a teaspoon in front of him.  
His head jerked up. “Hmmm?”  
“Hey, I know we agreed not to talk about work tonight...”  
“We did.”  
“It’s just that - there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask. About Donna and Diane from last week.”  
“Well... go on, then.”  
“How did you get Donna to drop her complaint against Diane?”  
“Oh. Um, I had nothing to do with that. I just encouraged them and their supers to get back in a room and keep talking. More or less.”  
“There must have been more to it. We couldn’t believe it when Diane said what she said. Donna looked properly angry.”  
“She was. She came and saw me straight afterwards, told me that there’d been words and there were witnesses. Asked me to stomp on Diane. But I had to say No.”  
He sipped his tea. “Oh, I wanted to, believe me. Nothing would have given me greater pleasure than to march down to Non-Foods and tear Diane to shreds in front of the customers and staff. But, no. The guidelines say I have to acknowledge what Donna is saying but can’t get involved in her complaint myself. That’s why the supers got involved, and why I had to line up Litchy to mediate if needed.”  
He frowned. “But the first lot of talking didn’t work because Donna was still mad as hell. Thing is, though - in that type of situation it’s rare that escalating it achieves much, so rather than have Donna go through that and get nowhere, I sent them all back into a room to keep talking. But I made sure the conversation went a certain way.”  
Kayleigh looked intrigued. “By doing what?”  
“I got the supers to ask Diane if she could accept that what she tried to pass off as a joke was actually in very poor taste and badly timed, given that Donna’s wedding isn’t far away.”  
“Right...”  
“I also suggested they ask Donna if she could accept that Diane is just a moron with a big mouth.” He grinned at Kayleigh’s expression. “I’m sure they used different words. Anyway, they kept talking and Donna eventually accepted Diane’s apology. Job done.”  
“Really? So it’s like it never happened?”  
“Oh, no. Obviously, Diane is no longer invited to Donna’s wedding reception, but she’s still got her job.”  
“Huh. Diane got away with it, in other words.”  
“Not entirely. Donna’s file shows that she filed a legitimate complaint and agreed not to pursue it after talking it through, as per the new process. Diane’s file shows that a legitimate complaint was made against her, she accepted responsibility for it then apologised for what she’d said, and it was only because of Donna’s good grace that it went no further.”  
“So?”  
“So it’s on Diane’s permanent record, and will be used against her if there’s a “next” time - regardless of who her manager is.” He chuckled. “And she knows it.”

He noted Kayleigh’s look of disapproval. “Why are you looking at me like that?”  
Kayleigh just shrugged. “Didn’t expect you to be pleased about it, that’s all.”  
“I’m not pleased. Shouldn’t have happened at all. It’s Diane’s own fault, what with her casting aspersions. Again.” He shook his head. “Maybe this time she’ll learn from it.”  
Kayleigh nodded. “Yeah...”

John glanced at the wall clock then emptied his mug. “Drink up. We should get going before the rain really kicks in. I’m just gonna drop you straight home.”  
“No, no - you’re meant to be feeding Cath’s cat. No point going to Bury then away to Cath’s and then home - you’ll be driving back and forth in the rain for no good reason.”  
“That won’t bother me.”  
“Seriously. It’s all right, John.”  
“Well... okay then. But we should get going, though.”

********************

“Little Blue” made good time on the half-empty roads and they were soon in an area that Kayleigh had only ever driven past. She was immediately taken with the size of some of the houses. “Cath lives out here?”  
“Yep. Not far, now.”  
Two corners later John turned into the driveway of a tidy two-storey. When they got out Kayleigh took a moment to look over the house and the surrounds before quietly whistling. “Must cost a fortune to rent...”  
“No, no - it's hers.”  
Kayleigh’s eyes widened.  
“Oh, yeah. Paid off and everything,” John continued. At the front door he quickly typed in an entry code, made a face at the domed security camera then opened the door. Without looking, he reached in and to the right and turned on several lights. “In you come.”

They stepped into a short hallway. From the second door on the left staggered a chocolate-brown cat, clearly trying to shake itself awake.  
“Stay put for a second.” John dropped to one knee, reached slowly towards the cat but stopped short, placing his hand on the floor. “Come on, then...”  
Muffin’s gaze switched between Kayleigh and John for a moment, before she moved forward to sniff John’s hand. It took a moment for Muffin to recognise John but when she did the wariness disappeared and she allowed him to pick her up.  
John lowered his voice and spoke softly as he stroked her back. “Hello.”  
It was a tone Kayleigh instantly recognised. “Hang on - isn’t that how you spoke to your Sophie when we were at Paul’s place that Sunday?”  
“Yep.” John grinned and looked back over his shoulder. “That voice works on sleepy kids and sleepy cats.” He turned back to Muffin, who had started to wriggle in his arms. “Oh, hang on - she’s more hungry than hug-gy at the moment. Come on, honey - let’s get you fed.” He carried her back into the kitchen and placed her gently on the bench. Kayleigh followed and watched as John quickly picked out a tin and biscuits from the cupboards.

John glanced across. “Can I get you to turn the heater on while I do this?”  
“Sure. How?”  
He pointed back through the door. “Lounge is through there and to the left. Just through the door on the right side you’ll find the light switches, and just by them is a green remote on a wall bracket.”  
Kayleigh called back after about thirty seconds. “Got it.”  
“All right. Hit the buttons marked “Preset 3” then “Accept”. Hear a beep?”  
“Yes.”  
“That’s it done. Thank you.”

Kayleigh walked slowly around the lounge, noting the art pieces on the walls and display cases. “This room is as big as our entire downstairs,” she muttered. “How could she afford this?”  
“Sorry - missed that.” John had just walked in.  
“Er, I was just wondering if that’s the same stereo you’ve got.”  
“No. That’s the top of the line. Blows mine into the weeds.”  
“Sorry, it does what?”  
“Makes mine sound ordinary. It helps that there’s speakers all round the room, though. They work with the TV as well.”  
Kayleigh arched her eyebrows. “Same type as yours, just much bigger? Dare I ask?”  
“Seventy-five inches, that one. But there’s plenty of room for it, so...”

Kayleigh closed her mouth tightly so her immediate thoughts didn’t escape. She looked over to see that John was now occupied with his phone, quickly tapping on the screen before putting it back in his pocket. “Just reporting in,” he replied to her unspoken question.

She noted a set of photos on the wall. Her eye was drawn to the faded photo of a family group in the most ornate frame. “Is that them?”  
“Yep.” He pointed to the faces in turn. “Petra, Cath, Francie.”  
“And the parents?”  
“Angelo and Rosa. Cath calls them her angels, for taking her in when no one else would.”  
“Three very happy girls there.” Kayleigh looked at the faces of the older couple. “Have you ever met them? The parents, I mean?”  
“No. They died a few years before I met Cath.”

John’s phone rang. “Here we go... Evening.  
Good, yeah. You?  
Oh, the usual. Lots of sucking up, then once her dinner was ready she basically ignored me.  
True. She is consistent. Hey - your bananas are on their last legs. Can I take them?  
I run a store. Of course I know how much bananas cost.  
You could do some baking...”  
He laughed. “There’s no need for that kind of language, thank you.  
Yeah. Yeah, it’s on. Sure.  
See ya.”  
John was still grinning. “She doesn’t do baking. Would you like a banana? She says Hi.”  
Kayleigh shook her head. “How does she know I’m here?”  
“She’s got remote access to the security cameras.”

John took another look at the photos then turned to Kayleigh. “Let’s get you home.”

********************

The drive to Bury was quieter than usual, with John focussing on the road in the ever-increasing rain and Kayleigh deep in thought.

“John?”  
“Yes?”  
“What were you looking at on Francie’s hand when you two were talking this afternoon? Outside the store, I mean.”  
“Her engagement ring. He popped the question on Sunday during her birthday party. David, his name is. Took him about two years to propose. Seems about the right amount of time to wait, don’t you think?”  
“Yeah... I suppose...”

“Kayleigh?”  
“Yes?”  
“Thanks again for listening last night. After thinking about Dad all Saturday, and then to see Trevor as he was last night, I just... Thank you.”  
She didn’t speak, just squeezed his hand.

The rain had turned torrential. John suggested that Kayleigh send a text when they were minutes away from the small Bury house, and it was Steve standing at the front door when they pulled up at the gate.  
One quick kiss later - “Don’t keep him standing in this rain too long” - Kayleigh got out and raced inside under the umbrella that Steve was holding. John waited just long enough to see them go in before he headed off.

********************

John always felt a bit unsettled when he got home after spending time in Cath’s house, even after brief visits. It was the sheer size of her lounge that always did it, reminding him how poorly he had done for himself in comparison. He didn’t begrudge Cath her success, knowing fully well what it had taken for her to get to where she was, but sometimes - like tonight - he couldn’t help wondering where he’d gone wrong, finding himself trapped with another twelve-plus years of mortgage payments on a house he’d come to hate.  
So when he walked in the door he only flicked the switch for the light directly over his table. Leaving the rest of the house in darkness disguised how small it seemed to him, especially at night.

He looked at his watch. Too early for bed...  
He got out his notepad and turned to the page marked “Xmas Do speech”. It was full of notes that had all been crossed out, so he ripped the page out and dropped it in the bin beside him.  
He tried again.

“Xmas Do Speech.” Good start.

Pretend to drop the mic at the start. Maybe?  
“I was invited to speak tonight...” While miming my arm up my back. Yes.  
“I can smell our dinner as well as you can...” Good.  
“Thanks to the “Do” team for their efforts...” Obviously.  
“I hear lots of good things about the store when I’m in meetings...” Maybe?  
“Absent friends...” Definitely.  
“Staff helping each other, the two who helped after the drunken fight...” Definitely.

“Okay. It’s a start,” he thought. “Now fatten it out.”


	5. Friday morning, six o'clock

“Well?”  
“Yep.”  
A sigh. “That’s the fourth night in a row.”  
“Yep.”  
“Did she sleep upstairs at all?”  
“Doesn’t look like it.”  
“So she’s not even tried?”  
“Nope.”  
“I don’t get it. The curtains have been doubled-up so it’s plenty dark in there.”  
“And it’s not as if the sofa is more comfortable than that bed. And the cooler weather is keeping the locals quiet, so it’s not as noisy as it has been.”  
“And it’s not like we can run her around until she’s all tired out like we did with Chloe when she was little.”  
“Or just lock her in her room...”  
Mandy wasn’t impressed.  
“I’m joking. Do you want me to talk to her?”  
“No, Steve.”  
“Well...”  
“I know, I know.”  
“I mean, if it hadn’t been for her snoring yesterday...”  
“Well, just make sure you don’t go down there without your pants on, all right?”  
“Fine.”

Steve sat on the bed and took Mandy’s hand.  
“Mand - you two need to talk. Her sleeping on the sofa every night is not going to work, not with your children waking up at sparrow-fart in the weekends. Especially if she decides to tie one on, now and then.”  
“Since when are they “my” children? And K hasn’t been hammered in ages.”  
“I know. All I’m saying is... Look. It’s just that time of year. You’ve worked in an office around Christmas. You know how it goes. Office drinks, team drinks, drinks with the girls, all of that. And the store is having their Christmas thing tonight, right? She’s not gonna be drinking water, is she?”  
“No...”

“Tell you what. How about... I’ll go and sort the kettle and mugs. While I have a shower you can fill her with tea, see if you can find out what’s going on. We don’t exactly have many options in terms of bedrooms in this place.”  
“Right. Right.”

Mandy waited until she heard the sound of running water before she put on her robe and walked quietly down the stairs to the lounge. Kayleigh was bundled up in sheets and blankets on the sofa, curled up between the two padded armrests.  
Mandy looked at her sleeping sister for a moment, then leaned over and blew softly on her face and hair until she saw Kayleigh’s eyelids flicker and slowly open. “Oh. You are awake,” she whispered.  
“Hmmmm?”  
“I’m just about to make tea.”  
Kayleigh yawned then slowly lifted her head. “Um, where did all these blankets come from?”  
“Steve. Up you get.”

With the kettle having just boiled and tea bags already in the mugs, it only took a few seconds for Mandy to pour in the hot water before she walked back over to Kayleigh who had managed to sit up. Mandy sat on the edge of the sofa and slid her arms around her sister.  
“Um...”  
“Shhh.”  
“Mand?”  
“Shhh.”

For almost a minute the two sisters sat in a silent embrace before Mandy released her hold and went back to the kitchen. With teas made, she returned to the lounge, handed a mug to Kayleigh and sat on the sofa. And waited.

“I can’t sleep in there, Mand. I just can’t.”  
Mandy said nothing, just nodded slowly.  
“It’s just since Monday when we fed Cath’s cat after work.”  
Mandy looked confused. “Sorry, what?”

“We got there, and... her house is massive, Mand.”  
“Yeah, you said.”  
“Two storey detached, beautiful kitchen, big lounge, huge TV, everything. Anyway. Anyway. When John asked me to turn the heater on while he fed Muffin, I... did a bit of snooping.”  
Mandy arched her eyebrows.  
“You know, I poked my nose in a couple of rooms, as you do.”  
Mandy smiled, despite herself. “Okay...”  
“Her bedroom is gorgeous. It’s bigger than this whole room. Big bed, loads of dresser-space, walk-in wardrobe, ensuite, all of it.”  
“Right...”  
“And then I came back here. Back to my little bedroom.”  
“Ah.”  
“That night, with all the rain, it just felt so small in there. Like I couldn’t breathe. I had to get out.  
I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, because I’m ever so grateful to you all, but it’s just that... my entire life now seems to fit into that small room. And it’s not even as if it’s my room.  
And look at Cath. She’s just turned forty, has a big beautiful house with half the world in it... while I’m not that far off forty myself but I’ve got nothing. I feel like I’m freeloading.”  
“You’re not freeloading. You’ve been doing your share. And you’ve been paying your share. Which we’re grateful for.”

Mandy tried to look composed but her mind was racing.  
“I don’t know what to tell you, K. We’re not flush with space, but we should to be able to make it more “your” room once Steve shifts that cross-trainer into the shed like he’s been promising. Maybe we could paint it or something?”  
“Yeah, that could be good.”  
“What I think might really help is if you had a wee holiday. Just a change of scene. Even a couple of days away might do you good.”  
Kayleigh sighed. “I’d love that, but now’s not the time. The Christmas team is putting everything up next week. I’ve been looking forward to that for ages, showing what we’ve been working on. And I’m crossing my fingers that there might be a bonus in it.”  
“Well, that is a nice thought. I’ll cross my fingers for you as well. But, let’s keep thinking, yeah?”

At that moment Steve came part-way down the stairs. “Morning. Kayleigh - the shower’s yours. I’ve left the door closed to keep the heat in. There’s towels in there as well.”  
“Thanks, Steve. And thanks for these.” She patted the blankets.  
Steve opened his mouth to reply but thought better of it, instead just smiling and going back up to the bedroom.

Once Kayleigh finished her drink and got in the shower, Mandy cleared the mugs away and went up to their bedroom.  
“Well?”  
Steve scratched his chin while Mandy related the situation. “Ah. Well, I can move your cross-trainer out once you’ve all gone this morning, but, as for the rest...  
I mean, painting is an option but she’ll not be able to sleep in there until the paint dries and the smell’s gone - and that’s gonna take a few days. Do any of her mates have a spare room? As that change of scenery,” he added quickly, noting Mandy’s folded arms. “Well, I wasn’t going to suggest your Mum’s, was I?”  
“I don’t know. Well, the only one I suspect will have room is Rachel, but, um...”

Steve was only half-listening. “When did she get home last night, again?”  
“Half-seven. She was thinking an early night would be good since their “Do” is tonight.”  
“But she didn’t sleep in her room. Didn’t even bother the bed. And since we didn’t see her set up the sofa, she must have waited until after you went to bed, meaning she’s probably not got to sleep until close to midnight.”  
“So?”  
“So she didn’t get an early night, and we’ve just gone and woken her up more than an hour earlier than usual.”  
“Oh, crap. She’s gonna be knackered today.”

********************

The senior staff had been pre-warned by Helen that John wasn’t in the best of moods. “Some last-second phone call got him riled up,” was all she could share, so the meeting room was full and quiet when he walked in.  
“Morning, everyone. This can’t take any more than fifteen minutes, so let’s get to it.”

The meeting progressed quickly, the only interruptions being requests for clarification as the seniors took notes.

John checked his watch. “Right. We’ve already covered tonight’s function but I need to talk about this afternoon. As you know, Simon Gardner is our evening manager this week, and he has just agreed to be here at two o’clock, rather than three. And that’s because I’ve just been instructed to attend a meeting in Area Office at three o’clock. The “Do” team will be leaving at three to head over to the venue and oversee the final preparations.  
Obviously, I now have to be the bad guy and point out that everyone needs to keep their minds on their jobs today.”

“There is a lot of good feeling in the place already,” said Craig. “Been building all week. Especially with the “Do” being on a Friday this year.”  
“Oh, I get that,” replied John. “I do. In all other respects though, it’s just another Friday and the normal rules apply. Remind your teams that the extra cameras are now operational, and if there’s any slacking off then there’ll be written warnings - and that’s come straight from Head Office. Any questions?”

There were none.

“Good.” He cleared his throat. “I have one last thing.”  
The group recognised that John was using his annoyed-John tone. All heads turned.

“If I find the person who wrote “POLICE STATE” on the noticeboard-item about the extra cameras,” - he gritted his teeth - “I will fucking have them.” His tone shocked the room. “If they’d actually read it, they would have known that the cameras were sited to improve coverage throughout the building, after what happened to that late-shift worker in London.”

An unprovoked attack had left an elderly cleaner in hospital and businesses scrambling to improve security measures for staff working late into the night.

“Impress that on your teams as well,” John continued. “If anyone has a problem working in a place that goes looking for people who shouldn’t be there late at night - suggest they resign. We’ll be better-off without them.”

He checked and closed his notepad. “We’re done here.”

He sat quietly while the room emptied, waving away the curious looks from Simon and Helen. For two minutes he jotted down ideas in his notepad, then headed to the Frozen Foods section where he waved to get the attention of the Section Head who had been in the meeting.  
“Excuse me. Shirley?”  
“Yes, Mr Redmond?”  
John leaned in and lowered his voice. “Your handwriting is very distinctive.”  
Shirley’s eyes widened in realisation. She opened her mouth to speak but John just shook his head.  
“If you decide to resign I won’t object. Otherwise... keep your head down. Understood?”  
“Yes, Mr Redmond.”  
“And don’t show your face at the venue tonight.”

********************

It had been an easy decision to make. If any of the staff pushed their luck that day John would be required to issue written warnings, so he decided to deter them by making himself as visible as possible throughout the store. And for most of the next five hours he did exactly that.

The senior staff and Section heads saw it for what it was.

Most of the staff viewed it differently.  
“Jesus. What a killjoy.”  
“Does he have nothing better to do?”  
“Fucking spy...”

SimonG continued this approach after John left for his meeting in Area Office. He soon spotted Evelyn and Gareth hand in hand on their way to the rear of the store, but his deliberate footsteps brought them to a halt just short of the corridor. He unlocked the small storeroom - “get in there” - and closed it behind the three of them.  
“What the hell are you playing at? Today, of all days?”  
“Oh, come on, Simon. It’s only a couple of hours until we’re done for the day. You don’t have to copy Redmond exactly, you know.”  
“You don’t get it, do you? Mister... Redmond has been doing you all a favour.”  
“How, exactly?”  
“Anyone slacking off today gets an instant written warning. Right?”  
“Right, hence his lurking about the place all day.”  
“How exactly was he “lurking” when he was dealing with customers at the front reception desk for half an hour? In plain view of everyone?”  
“All right, so he’s more like a cop, sniffing around to try and meet his quota of tickets.”  
“No. By making himself visible no one is likely to slack off, so there’ll be no written warnings needing to to be handed out in the first place.”  
“They don’t “need” to be handed out at all, is what I’m saying.”  
“Head Office thinks otherwise, and said so to every store in the country. You can thank Mr Redmond for trying to keep that from happening at all. And you can thank me while you’re at it.”  
Evelyn looked unimpressed. “For what?”  
Simon spoke slowly and deliberately. “The new cameras would have shown you together in that corridor at a time when both of you should have been on your own sections. The boss would have no option other than to give written warnings to both of you. And how would another one of those look on your personal file, Gareth? You’d be out on your arse, just before Christmas.”  
Gareth’s eyes widened. “Oh, shit. Thanks, Simon.”

Simon shook his head as he watched the pair head back to the main shop floor.  
“John’s right. Some of them don’t deserve to be helped.”

********************

“You try to help some people...”  
John had left Area Office just before five o’clock in a good mood, choosing to take the long way back to the store in order to work through some of the topics that had been discussed. His mood didn’t last long once he saw the faces of some of the staff as they left - their expressions clearly showing what they thought of his efforts to keep them on the straight and narrow that day.

Rather than face more of the same near the staff entrance, he walked around to the main doors where he mixed with customers and the late-shift staff as they arrived.  
After checking with Simon he did the usual store-check, passing by the Promotions team as he did so.  
“Hiya,” said Kayleigh.  
“Hello.”  
“How was it over in Area Office? Exciting?”  
“No - typical meeting, really. And I’ve been given a list of things to work on tonight.”  
“Oh. Will you still be at the “Do” then?”  
“Oh, sure. Have to, don’t I? I’ll be getting there sometime after seven.”  
“You going home first?”  
“No, I’ll be going straight over from here. You?”  
“Off home to get changed, then a lift back in and have a couple of drinks with the girls before it starts.”  
“You’re... why would you all pay silly prices at a wine bar or whatever beforehand, when you could just wait a little while and go straight to the venue where the bar prices will be cheaper?”  
“It’s a Christmas tradition, John. That’s why.”  
“Oh. Fair enough. Can’t mess with tradition.”

********************

By seven o’clock the “Do” team had checked and double-checked that everything was in order at the venue, had welcomed the store staff as they arrived and were feeling confident that the night would go well.  
Except for Helen, who was still feeling the pressure.

“He’s definitely coming, isn’t he?”  
“He’s definitely coming. He’s bringing the car over. Remember?”  
“Oh yeah. Of course he is.”  
“Besides,” said SimonB with a cheeky grin, “do you think he’s brave enough to try and skip out of the speech you’re making him do?”  
“I’m not “making” him give a speech. I just... put it in such a way that he felt he had to.”

The rest of the team chuckled. Eventually Helen cracked a smile.

“Just look in there,” said Simon, pointing back to the main room. “Pretty much everyone is here who said they would be, there’s a good feeling about it all-”  
“And the bar’s just opened,” said Rachel.  
“And the bar’s just opened.” Simon was nodding. “How about - how about you two stay here and wait for him while the rest of us do the rounds, yeah?”  
“All right,” said Rachel. “Hey, when you say “do the rounds”, does that mean going past the bar?”  
“Fine,” he replied. “We’ll get you both a drink while we’re at it.”

Helen waited until Simon and the rest of the team were out of earshot before leaning closer to Rachel.  
“He is coming, isn’t he?”  
“Helen. Relax.”

They were soon sizing up the drinks Simon had bought - “good choices, we’ll keep him on” - but had barely enough time for more than a few sips before they heard a distinctive voice in the corridor.  
The relief on Helen’s face was obvious.  
“Don’t know why you were so worried,” whispered Rachel. “Of course he was going to be here. He’s not Dave Thompson.”

John hurried up the corridor towards the waiting women. “Sorry about taking so long - traffic was murder.”  
“John, we’re just a block away from the store. What kept you?”  
“A few things needed tidying up. So, tell me. How’s it looking? What’s the turnout?”  
“It’s great. Seriously. Pretty much everyone has come. Well, we might be five or six down on the expected number, but... No. It’s good. It’s really good.”  
“I did tell you, didn’t I? Not many people will turn down a free dinner and cheap-ish drinks.”  
“Yeah, you did.”  
“So where are things at?”  
“We’ll have the speeches in about fifteen minutes, followed by dinner.”

********************

“... and so, just to confirm that the bar is closing at nine-thirty and we’re to be out by ten. All right. We’ve asked our Acting Manager to say a few words before we go through to dinner.”  
The only sound was some quiet murmuring among the staff as John took the microphone from Helen.

He briefly looked out at the assembled group, noting the looks of disinterest on most of the faces, along with the usual eye rolls - most of which weren’t subtle.  
“Fine,” he thought. “Short version, it is.”

“I was asked to speak tonight,” - he mimed his arm being twisted up his back - “so here I am. I won’t keep you very long, as I can smell dinner just as well as you. But there are couple of things that I feel need saying.”  
He indicated the “Do” team to his right. “First and foremost, a huge Thank You to the team here if you would.” He waited for the generous applause to die down before speaking again.  
“I’ve worked in the store for a long time now, and I believe this current group of people is among the best I’ve ever worked with. I really do. On that point, though - obviously, not everyone is able to be here tonight. There’s our late-shift teams of course, but there are others who simply can’t be with us, as well as some who have left us,” he paused, “and some whom we’ve lost. I’d just ask that at some point tonight, if you could spare a thought for them all, or maybe raise a glass - “to our absent friends” - that would be much appreciated.”  
That prompted nodding and quiet murmurs of agreement.

“But I don’t want you all sat at your dinner with serious faces,” he continued. “I realise I’m just filling in until Alison is well enough so Dave Thompson feels happy about coming back to work. At this stage that is likely to be in mid-January, and I’m sure you all agree that is excellent news. While I’m filling in, one of the tasks I have is to represent the store at various meetings. There was one this afternoon, in fact, where I realised a few things.”  
“A boozy shindig was it, Mr Redmond?” came a call from the group.  
“Not at all, Elsie,” John replied. “It wasn’t at Head Office, you know.”  
That earned John a few smiles.  
He continued. “I don’t think you realise just how highly regarded this store is. Sorry - not the store. The staff. You. And your work mates.  
You should know that, collectively, your efforts have resulted in an outstanding safety record in the warehouse and loading areas, along with the highest results in the supplier and customer surveys in this part of the country. On an individual level, we can’t go past the exceptional skills demonstrated every day in the various sections. And we obviously have the example of two of our First Aiders - Joanne and Megan - who attended to the two injured strangers in our carpark a few weeks ago.  
Well done, everyone.”

He turned to look at Helen. “Now, before I hand back to Miss Mitchell, there’s one final thing I’d like to mention. It’ll just take a minute.” He waved in the direction of the bar then turned his attention back to the group.

“Each month we acknowledge those among you who have excelled. You’ll be aware that this month’s awards have already been... well... awarded,” he cleared his throat, “but there’s been a development. You will of course know that Elsie O’Donnell was recognised for her Outstanding Customer Service for the second month in a row. You may also know that Elsie, with some assistance and guidance from Mr Barrett here, wrote up her experiences of using standing-stools at work and at home.  
What you won’t know, and what I didn’t know until about two hours ago, is that write-up has had quite an impact. Specifically, it caught the eye of some high-ups in Area Office, who pushed it through to some high-ups in Head Office, who were impressed by what they read. So impressed, in fact, that they’ve agreed to make different types of standing-stools available as standard equipment across the country. The timing is still being worked out, but stores will probably start to see them beginning next March or April.”

He noted some confused faces.

“What it means is that more staff will be able to continue with the jobs where they perform their best, rather than having to do something completely different or not be able to work at all. It’s not about getting people back at the job before they’re ready,” he quickly added, “but to make things a bit easier once they are. After all, if a small-ish outlay on these can help someone with knee problems provide outstanding customer service,” he looked directly at Elsie, “then why wouldn’t we get more of them?”

Elsie’s voice rang out. “Well, this calls for a drink , I reckon.”

John was smiling. “Way ahead of you. Gentlemen?” Two of the waiting staff stepped forward, each carrying a champagne glass on a silver tray. “One for this lady here,” - he pointed to Elsie - “and one for this gentleman to my right, please.”

As the drinks were delivered John was again speaking. “And I’ve kept you all from your dinner for long enough, so...” but no one was listening, everyone having resumed their own conversations. He handed the microphone back to Helen and shrugged his shoulders.  
Helen’s voice cut across the noise. “Dinner is ready, everyone. Through the double doors at the side, if you would.”

John and the “Do” team watched the staff stream into the dining room.  
“So much for holding the attention of an audience,” John thought. He turned to Simon. “Okay. Next bit.”

One of the venue staff led Simon and John to the first kitchen, passing the last of the staff as they queued to get into the dining room. Elsie waved to get John’s attention, so he walked over to where she and Kayleigh were standing.  
“Mr Redmond?”  
“Yes, Elsie?”  
She toasted him with her glass. “Thank you for this. And I’m saving a dance for you.”  
“First things first, Elsie. Dinner’s up.”  
“I’m not taking “No” for an answer...”  
John just smiled. “Jesus wept,” he thought.  
His eyes briefly met Kayleigh’s before he hurried away.

In the kitchen he found Simon counting containers of mini-meals that had been stacked on a trolley. He handed John a sheet of paper. “That’s the number of each type, as arranged. Vegetarians are in that grey bag.”  
“Very good.”

They loaded the containers into the back of the work-Polo, then John drove the short distance to the store where SimonG was waiting. Together they loaded the containers on a trolley and wheeled it up to the cafeteria where they set out the meals on the main bench.  
“Right then,” said John. “Tell the staff that they can start coming up for their breaks. We’ve got a half-and-half mix of beef and chicken dinners, with three specials for our vegetarians.”

********************

Forty minutes later the cafeteria fell silent as the last staff member finished her meal and headed back to the main floor.

“So?”  
John checked the list. “That’s it. All done.”  
Together they stacked the now-empty containers into rubbish bags and the utensils into the caddies for the dishwasher.  
Simon smiled. “This was a great idea, doing this for the late shift.”  
“It was the team’s idea. I just offered to hand these out so they could stay at the venue and focus on what’s going on there.” John paused. “Actually, you should go over. You might as well. Have a beer while you’re at it.”  
“I can’t do that.”  
“Sure you can. I can hold the fort for an hour.”  
“John...”  
“It’s fine. It’ll give me a chance to finish off some things, seeing as how Area pissed away two hours of my day. Means I can get it all done tonight rather than having to come in tomorrow.”  
Simon hesitated.  
“Seriously. Go.”  
“Well... Thanks, John. And I won’t be long.”  
“Take an hour. I mean it. And let them know how well this went.”  
“Will do. Cheers, mate.”

John’s smile faded once Simon left the room.  
“Should have known,” he thought, as he tied the last rubbish bag. “Not even scraps left. Missed out again.”

After tidying the main bench, he went to the vending machine for an oversized biscuit, chocolate and crisps then headed back to Dave’s office. Fifteen minutes later his tasks were complete, so after a store-check (where the staff were far more cheery than usual) he went back to the office and stood near the security window from where he could eat while listening to the sound of the music drifting across from the venue.

Then his work-phone rang. He pulled the window closed.  
“John Redmond.  
Yes.  
Oh, no. When?”

********************

In the venue itself, SimonG got himself a half-glass and made his way over to the table where the “Do” team had gathered. “Evening, team.”  
Helen was confused. “Hi, Simon. Um, what’s going on?”  
“John’s stayed on to finish off some work. Let me come over for a while. How’s it been going?”  
“Really good, yeah. Dinner was good. How’d it go down over there?”  
“Brilliantly. Everyone enjoyed it. Great idea, whoever came up with it.”  
“That idea was a Rachel-special.”  
“Inspired, is what it was.” Simon nodded at Rachel, who was beaming.

Meanwhile, a few tables away...  
“Kinda nice what the boss said.”  
“I wasn’t listening. Pity he didn’t take a minute to smarten himself up beforehand. Looked like he’d just come straight from the store.”  
“Where did he go, then? When he finished, I mean.”  
“No idea. Probably pissed off home.”  
“No, no,” came a voice from behind them. “Seems he took a bunch of meals back to the store for the late-shift mob.”  
“Really?”  
“That’s what they tell me,” he said, holding up his phone.  
“Huh. So that’s why I couldn’t get a third helping. Bloody late shift, eh? And does anyone know what happened to Shirley? She was dead keen on coming tonight.”  
“A migraine, apparently. Came out of nowhere.”  
“Oh. That’s too bad.”

Similar conversations were taking place across the venue, although the topics quickly moved away from work-issues as the staff took advantage of the cheaper bar prices. And by nine-forty, with the bar having closed, the bulk of the staff had gone.

********************

John stopped “Little Blue” just outside the main door of the venue. He recognised some of the cars already parked there as belonging to partners of store-staff. He showed his store-ID to the security guard and went inside.

Kayleigh had been swapping texts with one of the late-shifters throughout the evening, so knew when to move towards the main doors. She didn’t have long to wait before a familiar figure walked in.  
“Good evening, Mr Redmond.”  
“Good evening to you, Miss Kitson. Um, how?”  
Kayleigh held up her phone. “Toni in Produce.”  
“Right.”  
“So.”  
“So.”  
“Dinner was lovely.”  
“Was it? Very good.”  
“Did you not get any?”  
“No. We only took enough for everyone working in the store tonight. And since I wasn’t meant to be in the store tonight...” He shrugged. “But that’s okay. I’m glad you enjoyed it.”  
“I heard you stayed in the store so Simon could come over for a while.”  
“Yep. It was either that or dance with Elsie, you see.” He mock-shuddered.  
“It’s a shame that you missed out on all of this.”  
“Nah, it’s fine.”  
“You were just as entitled to be here tonight as anyone.”  
“It really doesn’t matter. Anyway. My day’s over.”  
“Are you not staying right to the end?”  
“No point. I mean, there’s just twenty minutes to go before they close the place so nothing else will be happening.”  
“You’re not going back to the store, are you?”  
“No need. Simon’s got it sorted.”  
“But you can’t just go.”  
“Because?”  
“Because... I haven’t had a dance yet.”  
“You’re joking. Not at all?”  
“Well, just the usual dancing with the girls, you know. But not a proper one.”  
“Did no one ask?”  
“Yeah, but... I’ve been waiting.”  
“For?”  
“You, obviously. So, are you going to ask me to dance or not?”  
John hesitated.  
“Elsie and the girls have gone already. Most have gone, actually, and the few that are left are either drunk or nearly-drunk.”  
“Um....”  
“Look over there. You’ve got Helen dancing with her Billy, Rachel and her new fella Dean dancing up a storm and Gareth... just trying to stand upright. No one will notice the pair of us trying not to stand on each other’s feet.”  
“Well, since you put it like that... Kayleigh, would you like to dance?”  
“Oh. Well, I don’t know - I’ll have to think about it.”  
She grinned, watching the reaction on John’s face. Then... “Of course I would.”

********************

“Well done, team. Really, really well done.”  
John and Kayleigh had waited outside while the “Do” team had the wrapup-chat with the venue owners, then joined them as they emerged from the main doors.  
“I mean it. Well organised, well attended, well run.”  
“Better than last year, then?” asked Billy as she slipped her arm around Helen’s waist.  
“I don’t actually know - couldn’t make it last year,” John replied evenly. “Kayleigh? What do you think?”  
Kayleigh was nodding. “Oh yeah. Easily...”  
There was a bit of small talk, but the chill in the air soon put an end to it and the group began to disperse. John checked his watch then checked the sky, yawning as he did so.  
“Right, then. Let’s get you to your Mandy’s before that rain turns up.”

Kayleigh didn’t hide her disappointment.

“Oh. Sorry. Um, was there somewhere you wanted to go? I’m not up for much but I could drop you there, if you want.”  
“No, it’s not that. I don’t want you to just drop me home and go. I mean, I don’t like the idea of you driving home when you’re this tired. Not when you’re by yourself.”  
“I’ll be fine. Done it before.”  
“Please, John. Just the thought of it... I’m worried already.”  
He yawned. “Well... you’ve had some wine so can’t drive, and I’m not going to leave my car here and get a taxi home. Too much hassle to come get it in the morning.”  
“I don’t mean that.”  
“And I can’t just rock up to your Mandy’s place and take their sofa. That’s not on.”  
“That’s not what I’m thinking.”  
“I’m too old to be sleeping in my car.”  
“Jesus - you are tired. John. Can we just go back to yours? I want to be sure that you get home safe and sound. Then I’ll get a taxi.”  
“Well... I still think I’ll be fine going home.”  
“John. Just this once, will you put yourself first? Please?”  
John’s objection was interrupted by another yawn.  
“Please?”  
“Okay. Okay.”

John drove home more slowly than usual, using quick blasts of cold fresh air to keep himself alert. Kayleigh could see he was starting to struggle so tried to keep him talking.  
“Did you really not get any dinner?”  
“I got a few things from the machine. It was all right.”  
“I still think we should get you something decent on the way.”  
Another yawn. “No. If I eat too much this late I won’t be able to sleep at all, and I’ve got things to do in the morning. I’ve got stuff in the cupboards, enough for a bit of supper. Sure of it. I’ll be fine. Really.”

********************

The rain had started to get heavier so John stopped outside his house just long enough for Kayleigh to dash inside before he parked “Little Blue” in the garage. Once inside he saw the heater was on and could hear the distinctive sound of the kettle.  
Kayleigh looked out from the kitchen. “Not too wet?”  
“Nah, I’m good.”  
“Should I bring some biscuits through?”  
“Good idea. And all the shortbread from the cupboard as well, please.”  
He hung his jacket over the chair and removed his tie before sinking gracelessly into the sofa and leaning right back.

Kayleigh brought in a large plate loaded with biscuits and shortbread. “Here we go.” She sat next to John and kissed his cheek. “How are you doing?”  
“I’m getting there. Very, very glad it’s Friday. Could really use a sleep-in.”  
“What’s a sleep-in for you, then?”  
“About seven o’clock.”  
“Is that because of your early catch-up call with the store?”  
“Yeah. I give myself a half-hour to wake up properly beforehand, so we can have a proper discussion about what’s going on. And in Summer they will have been working for nearly twelve hours by that time, so the least I can do is be properly awake when I’m talking to them.”  
Another yawn. “Still,” he thought, “not for much longer...”  
His eyes flicked up at the sound of the kettle boiling. He started to move.  
“I’ll get these,” said Kayleigh. “You stay put.”  
“Thank you.”

John had picked up his tablet from the coffee table and was searching for something when Kayleigh brought their drinks in.  
“Um, is there a cab company or whatever that you prefer?”  
She made a face. “Trying to get rid of me already, then?”  
“Not at all. You don’t want to wait too long to organise one - once it gets late then their prices can creep up. Especially on Friday and Saturday.”  
“What about the business about lots of cabs meaning better pricing?”  
“That’s the idea, but when people need a ride somewhere and there’s not many options...” he shrugged.  
“Anyway,” said Kayleigh, forcing herself to sound casual as she changed the subject, “there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you for a little while. Were you really not planning to go tonight?”  
“Not if I could help it. But Helen put paid to that, didn’t she?”  
Kayleigh grinned. “Oh yeah. You got her acting in your old job, then she bullied you into giving a speech at a “Do” you didn’t want to go to. That’s hilarious.”  
He grimaced. “That was just a waste of time. You were there - no one gave a shit about what I was saying.”  
“I did. Simon did. Elsie certainly did.”  
“Well, fine. But everyone else probably saw me as someone making them wait around before they could have dinner.”  
“People near me were listening, you know.”  
“And they’ll have forgotten what I said by now. No. Waste of time. The best approach at that kind of function is always to keep it short: tell them where the bogs are, how long the bar will be open, when dinner will be served and how to get out if there’s a fire. Trying to make a point doesn’t work when people have drinks in their hands and can smell dinner.”

“There was one thing that you said that I couldn’t quite believe.”  
“Only one thing?”  
“When you basically said everyone was great. With a straight face.”  
“It’s sort-of true, for some of the staff, anyway. Although I did exaggerate a little to try to get people on side. But I’m fine with that.”  
She arched her eyebrows.  
“Hey, I didn’t then turn around and ask anyone to vote for me or give me money or whatever. And since they weren’t really listening there’s no harm done.” He winked. “I’ll square things up at my next Confession.”

Kayleigh twisted to face him. “There is one thing that I really don’t get.”  
“What’s that?”  
“The whole business about the standing-stools.”  
“What about them?”  
“That was your idea originally.”  
“So?”  
“So why aren’t you getting the credit for it?”  
“Doesn’t matter.”  
“Sure it does. It should, anyway.”  
“Well... I got that idea as a way to help Elsie at work. She’s then done really well, and it’s her efforts that encouraged me to get her to write about it.” He took a biscuit. “See, I could have written up something to say “we should buy more of these for the staff” but the bean counters would only see the cost and reject it. Elsie wrote about what she’s been able to do since she’s had use of them, backed up by extra comments from Simon and some of the feedback from customers. The bean counters read all that and saw a cost and a benefit. That’s why it needed to come from her.”  
“I still think you should be getting some credit for it, though.”  
“I mean - if they really deep-dive, they’ll see my name in the original paperwork. But, to me - as long as more staff can be helped by these things... I’m fine with that.”

They glanced at each other as the rain intensified, then John checked his watch. “That’s really bad now. We need to be getting you home, but... I’m not happy about putting you in a taxi at this time of night.” He got to his feet. “I’m going to drive you myself.”  
“You’re in no state to do that, John. I’m feeling guilty keeping you awake as it is. I mean... I could just... I could... stay the night...”  
“You what?”  
“I could stay the night,” she repeated, her voice more confident as she patted the sofa. “I don’t take up much space. You won’t even notice.”  
John was quiet for a moment. “Well, yeah, you could, but...” then shook his head. “But I’m not having you on the sofa, like some backpacker. That’s not... No. The guest bed is made up.”  
Kayleigh looked to her right. “The one in that little room with your keyboards and things?”  
“No, the one upstairs. I’ve often had Jim stay over after gigs and whatever, so I’ve always got it set up. The kids have stayed a few times as well. Like after the time at the monster trucks.”  
“Okay, but, how long since anyone stayed over, then?”  
“Not for a couple of months, but I change the sheets and everything every couple of weeks. There’s plenty of blankets in there as well. Will that be okay?”  
Kayleigh smiled. “Sounds great.”  
“All right, then. Well, since you’re staying, best you text your Mandy so she knows you’re safe. And so she can tell Chloe and Alfie in the morning - because they’ll be missing you, won’t they? I’ll just go turn on the electric blanket for you.”  
He headed up the stairs while Kayleigh sent the text.

Ten minutes later they had finished their drinks and wordlessly agreed that their day was done. John led Kayleigh up the stairs.  
“Here you go,” he said, pushing open the door to the guest room. “There’s a little washbag in there that you can use,” he said, indicating the bathroom.  
“A what?”  
“The little grey bag under the basin. We went shopping for bits and bobs back when I started on the project, remember? I made up a bag of bathroom-bits from what we bought. It’s quite basic, with the kind of things I would use, so there’s nothing fancy in it, I’m afraid. So, how about you do... whatever in there and I’ll sort your room out. And find you something to wear.”

As Kayleigh cleaned her teeth John spread blankets on top of the guest bed, then picked two clean TShirts from his dresser.  
He felt strangely uncomfortable standing in the guest room but more so standing outside the bathroom, so waited downstairs until he heard the bathroom door open.  
“Whatcha doing?” asked Kayleigh as he walked back up the stairs.  
“Just checking the front door and windows.”  
“Oh right. So...”  
“So. The electric blanket’s already on, there’s two blankets on the bed and more on the little chair. And there’s two TShirts you can try. Neither is going to fit you, obviously, but the grey one has thicker material so should be warmer. Until the electric blanket heats up properly, anyway.”

Kayleigh stepped towards John, slipped her hands around him and kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”

They held the embrace for a few moments, neither of them moving, neither of them sure what they should do next.  
And then John yawned, setting them both giggling.  
The awkwardness was gone. John gently kissed her forehead.  
“Goodnight, beautiful.”

Their hands briefly brushed together as Kayleigh turned and went into the guest room, closing the door behind her. She quickly undressed and got into the bed that was already warming thanks to the electric blanket. The only light came from the bedside lamp, showing a room that wasn’t very big yet didn’t feel cramped, while the sound of rain on the roof seemed more comforting than constricting. As did John’s TShirt.

While Kayleigh was making herself comfortable, John was feeling incredibly self-conscious. He brushed his teeth as quickly as he could while trying to be as quiet as possible. When he was done he stalled for a minute, then turned off the light before quietly opening the door and stepping out.

For a moment he looked at the guest room door that was slightly ajar - before biting his lip, going into his bedroom and pushing the door closed.  
His bed seemed more empty than usual, almost mocking him while he tried - and failed - to get to sleep.

And then the snoring started.  
A wry smile. “Oh yeah. Forgot about that.”


	6. Saturday morning

The noise that woke Kayleigh wasn’t the rain on the roof, nor was it the sporadic traffic outside. And since the room was much darker than she was used to - “I might steal those curtains” - it took a moment to find the switch on the bedside lamp.  
She checked her phone. 7:25. “So much for a lie-in.”  
She blinked, tried to focus - then saw that a robe had been hung on the door, with what seemed to be a yellow patch on it.  
She got out of bed and walked over, smiling when she realised it was a yellow Post-It note with John’s handwriting:  
“I’m on the work call”

After quickly washing her face she made her way downstairs, the sound of John’s voice becoming clearer as she went. She slowly pushed the door open and crept in, a finger held to her lips so John knew she’d read his message. He was sitting fully dressed at the table, his phone to his ear, notepad to hand and breakfast spread out in front of him.  
John smiled. “Morning,” he mouthed. Then, into the phone, “Well, you might have been, but all I saw was a load of people wanting me to shut up and piss off.” He looked back at Kayleigh, who hadn’t moved away from the door and was looking uncertain about what to do.  
“Hang on a second, Brenda. Let me put you on speaker.”  
He gestured for Kayleigh to come closer.  
“I need to find a working pen, and it’s gonna take both hands to clear all this stuff out of the way.”  
“That’s not like you, John,” came Brenda’s voice through the phone. “You’re normally more organised than this.”  
“True enough. More tired than I thought. But there’s got to be a working one here somewhere... Oh, sod it. I’ll just go get a new one.”  
He stood, stepped forward and brought his mouth close to Kayleigh’s ear. “Hello,” he whispered. “You sleep all right?”  
“Best sleep in ages,” she softly replied.  
“Very good. Well, the kettle’s not long boiled, and there’s cereal and everything set up in there.”  
Kayleigh smiled before going through to the kitchen and quietly pulling the door closed.  
“Right, Brenda - all sorted now.”

The kettle was soon boiling again, followed by the distinctive CLUNK of the toaster popping up - the sound of which stopped Brenda part-way through her sentence. “What’s that noise, John?”  
“Ah, there’s a couple of lorries going past in the street.”  
“Oh, right.”  
Kayleigh came back in, looking uncertainly at John as he listened to Brenda. He gestured for her to sit in the next chair, moving a placemat and coaster into place before nodding in approval at her breakfast. “So the cafeteria was in a good state this morning, then?”  
“Yep. Simon’s note said the cleaners were done just before twelve.” Brenda hesitated. “I take it you put up the notice about Trevor?”  
“I did.”  
“John, that’s awful.”  
John could only nod at Kayleigh’s horrified expression. “Yeah. They said he wouldn’t have known anything about it, but still....”  
“Do they know when...?” asked Brenda. “Oh. No, don’t answer that. I don’t know why I asked.”  
“It was sometime between seven-thirty and eight last night,” said John. “That was the first thing I thought to ask as well.”  
“He’s doesn’t have a family, does he? Did he, I mean.”  
“There’s no one. But I’ve already put in the request to cover the expenses. He’d changed his will to benefit the Hospice even though he didn’t have much, but rather than have it chewed up by the usual costs we’ll cover them. That way the hospice will actually get something.”  
“Is, um... is it the same hospice that your Dad was in?”  
John paused. “No. But they’re all good.”

In the long silence that followed Kayleigh held John’s hand, before John took a deep breath. “So. Um... What was the other thing you were starting to tell me?”  
Brenda sounded relieved at the change of subject. “That the second big freezer is unusable.”  
“Could anything be saved?”  
“No. It’s all partly defrosted, so that’s that.”  
John groaned. “How did we not spot it?”  
“Because it’s right over one of the drains, and the water went straight down and out so there was no puddle to see.”  
“It’s definitely a mechanical, right? We didn’t trip over the plug or something?”  
“No. The only thing working in it is the light. It must have failed late last night or very early this morning. And we didn’t notice that the motor wasn’t working because these new units are dead quiet all the time.”  
“Have we missed a maintenance-check for it?”  
“Nope. The paperwork shows it got serviced just over a month ago.”  
“Well, that something, I guess. So. Dare I ask?”  
“At least a grand’s worth of stock. Then there’s the fix for the freezer as well.”  
“Shit... All right, then. Standard procedure. Bag it up, let’s get proper counts and amounts and call in a techie.”  
“Yes, John - we’re already doing it. I taught you all this, remember?”  
John bit his lip. “Sorry Brenda. Force of habit. Where would I be if you weren’t there to save the day, eh?”  
“You’d be doing just fine, John. And, speaking of where you’d be...”  
“Yes?”  
“Congratulations on getting that job in Area. I told you it would happen sooner rather than later.”  
John stared at the phone. “How did you know about that?”  
“Shannon in the project team let it slip.”  
“When was this?”  
“Yesterday, just after two o’clock.”  
He became aware that Kayleigh had let go of his hand and was sitting with her arms folded.  
“What? I didn’t find out until four o’clock.” He looked straight at Kayleigh as he spoke. “They specifically told me to keep a lid on it, because no one is supposed to know until after Dave gets told. And that’s not happening until Monday or Tuesday.”  
“Oh. Well, that message hasn’t gone to all the right people, then.”  
“Meaning what?”  
“Meaning that plenty know already. The project team, your new team, the Project Office, Systems and Facilities all know. And HR have known since Wednesday.”  
“Wednesday?! But I don’t get told until Friday and then they tell me to keep it quiet? Bloody double standards...”

Brenda knew his tone better than most and knew exactly how long to wait before speaking again. “So, John. Given all that - when do you actually start over there?”  
“Um,” - a deep breath - “officially, the second full week in January. But that’s when Dave is coming back so I’ll have to be in the store for at least two days that week for the handover. Then I’m gone. For good.”  
“And there’s the usual delays before anyone else in the store gets to hear, I expect?”  
“Yep. Assuming, of course, that they don’t already know and that I am literally the last person to be told. Again.”  
“I really doubt that, John. Hey, I need to go do my store-check. I’ll send you an update-text a bit later, and we’ll talk again at handover, yeah?”  
“Okay, Brenda. Have a good morning. And I’m sorry for getting grumpy there.”  
“Quite all right, John. See ya.”  
John ended the call, then sat quietly.

He glanced at Kayleigh, who was looking at him while eating some toast.  
“I didn’t tell you because they told me to keep my mouth shut.”  
“I know. I heard.”  
“I would have, otherwise.”  
“I know.”

She reached over and squeezed his hand. “What did Brenda mean by “delays” before the rest of the store finds out?”  
“Well, when there’s a change involving senior staff, the store Manager, head of HR and Assistant Managers find out first. The store Manager then decides when the rest of the staff get to hear.”  
“Really?”  
“Yeah. Do you remember when you were told that Ian Hardy got store Manager in Burnley?”  
“In the week before he left, I’m guessing.”  
“Well, that had been in the works for over a month by then.”  
Kayleigh shrugged. “Why the secrecy?”  
“It’s not that it’s secret, it’s just a “need to know” thing. Where the Manager or Assistant Manager is going, there’s an expectation that position will be filled as quickly as possible, either by someone acting or being appointed to the job - like when I went on the Project, right? The store Manager gets told because, well, it’s their store, the head of HR is the only one who can access our personal files so they need to know what’s going on, and the Assistants get told so they can decide if it’s a job they actually want to take on.”  
“Makes sense... and everyone else?”  
“That’s up to the store Manager. If it doesn’t affect anyone else then it tends to be closer to the time when the person is going to leave. Like for Ian Hardy when it was just a few days before.”

“So I know something nice and early, for a change.” Kayleigh grinned. “What’s it worth to you for me to stay quiet, then?”  
John frowned. “No. Don’t even joke about that.”  
“Because?”  
“Because I didn’t tell you, and since Brenda had no idea you were listening neither of us would be held responsible. You, however, would be seen as having received privileged information and passing it on, and could therefore expect to be dismissed on the spot.”  
“Even though half the world already knows?”  
“Even though.”  
“Well, how does that work?”  
“Double standards, like I said.” He shook his head. “There’s no point trying to work it out. They just change the rules to suit themselves.”

Kayleigh nodded her understanding. “So. What now?”  
“I wait until Dave’s been told and then I can start telling people.”  
She smiled. “No. What I meant was, what now for today? You said there was something you needed to do this morning. Was it just that call?”  
“Oh. No, I have to do some Christmas shopping. Got a couple of ideas for Ben and Sophie, and there’s some sales I want to take a look at.”  
“Toys, you mean?”  
“Mostly, with a book or two.”  
“That could be fun. Can I come?”  
“Of course you can.”  
“I can go looking for Alfie and Chloe as well. But,” she looked down at the robe, “I can’t go out shopping like this.”  
John smiled. “Not exactly like that, no.”

********************

“It’s fine. It’s only for a few minutes. And it’s not as if it’s cold in here.”  
“Well... are you sure?”  
“Yeah. Go on.”  
“Won’t be long.”  
And with that Kayleigh closed the passenger door and rushed into the small Bury house to get changed. She’d been concerned about Misty’s possible reaction to John being in the otherwise-empty house - now that Misty had become more protective of her new Bury home and family - so John suggested that he wait in the car, rather than Misty being locked outside or in the kitchen.  
He noted the time then pulled out his paper map. They had spent some time over breakfast working out where they wanted to go, and now John was trying to work out the best way to get around - at the same time that half of Manchester would be chasing the same sales and parking spaces. And, given that the rain wasn’t due to let up for a while yet, no one would be wanting to walk very far.

But that wasn’t what was occupying his mind. It was the odd request she’d made before going upstairs to the shower.  
“Why do you need a plastic bag?” he’d asked as he handed it over.  
“To put my knickers in. From yesterday.”  
She then giggled at his confused expression. “I’m not going commando - I’ve got a spare pair,” as if that made any sense.

It had been rattling around inside his head since she’d said it.  
Who takes spare underwear to a work function?  
He assumed she wouldn’t have expected to stay over, and even so, why wouldn’t she simply go without underwear in bed and “save” them for the next day, then go home early for a change of clothes?  
Why would a woman have a spare pair of-  
Oh. Of course.

John turned the radio up to mask the noise of the rain, then got out his notepad and wrote down a few thoughts he’d had about the upcoming work week. With that done he sat and waited until Kayleigh emerged from the house and rushed over to the car.  
“You smell nice.”  
“Thank you, John. Have you got it sorted yet?”  
“The way we should go? It’s a bit tricky.”  
“Which part?”  
“Where we’re likely to find somewhere to have lunch at about twelve, if we go by this list. I think we should look for your curtains first, and then move on and aim for lunch at half-eleven. And if there’s a delay with the curtains we move on anyway but do a left-hook to get back there after we finish lunch, which is when most other people will be getting hungry.”  
“I don’t get it, John.” She traced her finger across the map. “I don’t see why we don’t just go to the middle and work around and out from there.”  
John traced a different path. “Too much there-and-back, because some of the things I’ll be chasing are a bit bulky and not easy to carry very far.”  
Kayleigh didn’t look convinced.  
“Tell you what,” he said. “If I’m wrong, I’ll pay for lunch. How about that?”  
“Deal.”

********************

John made a point of not looking directly at Kayleigh as she paid the cashier, simply picking up the larger tray and leading the way to the table they’d picked out. Kayleigh followed a short distance behind, waiting until John made space on the table before putting her tray down. Then she sat with folded arms and looked at John with a half-smile. “You think you’re so clever, don’t you?”  
“I don’t know why you’re surprised. I map out the operational plan for the store three months in advance, so organising a quiet wander around some shops is a doddle.”  
“You’re looking a bit smug.”  
“I don’t mean to be. I’m just pleased that things have gone so well. I mean, you’re now in possession of the darkest curtains known to Mankind which should help you get to sleep...”  
“True...”  
“Your Alfie and Chloe are going to have a really fun Christmas...”  
“Yeah...”  
“And I have to say - that last one you bought for Steve and Mandy? What a lovely thing to get them.”  
“Hmmm. I’m really pleased I found that.”  
“And as for me - I’ve only got a few things left to get. And that will be me done for the year, and a week earlier than usual. Thanks to you.”  
She smiled. “This has been fun, playing present-detective.”

John’s expression had changed while Kayleigh had been speaking. He pulled his phone from his jacket, frowned briefly then put it back.  
“Trouble?”  
“An update from Brenda, but nothing that can’t wait.”

He was quiet for a moment then looked up. “I’ve just now realised my list doesn’t actually include wrapping paper. Or cards.”  
“We can find them pretty much anywhere.”  
“True, but it would be good to find different paper for everyone. Something fun. And since you are the Christmas expert...”  
“I am the Christmas expert...”  
“...I will defer to your wealth of knowledge in such things.”  
She smiled.  
“But once that’s done,” said John, “I think we should call it quits for the day, and finish up tomorrow.”  
“Go home early, you mean?”  
“No. I mean, let’s spend the afternoon doing things for ourselves.”  
“Okay, then. Anything in particular?”  
“I actually need another shirt or two, there’s a couple of music shops I like to have a look in when I can...”  
“Right...”  
“...and there’s a coffee shop I know with a load of different teas and some really nice cake.”  
“Somewhere that has nice cake? Have you been holding out on me?”  
“It’s a bit of a drive to get there, that’s all. Is there anything you’d like to do?”  
“I could do with getting a few things myself. Is the forecast for this afternoon better or worse?”  
“Just as rubbish, I think.”  
“Okay. Well, how about you work out a path on your map that keeps us out of the weather, and we’ll see where we end up.”

********************

For more than two hours they followed John’s “path to shopping success”, adding to the stack of purchases in the back of “Little Blue” as they went.  
Kayleigh noticed that John seemed more distracted, more lost in thought as the afternoon progressed. He was obviously pleased with his purchases - having marked off a number of items on yet another list in his notepad - but there was clearly something on his mind.

By two o’clock they were back in the car and heading west. They’d agreed to finish for the day once the crowds drastically increased after lunchtime, and also because of the noticeable temperature drop. The approaching mass of bad weather on the weather radar convinced them that their decision was the correct one.  
“Besides,” Kayleigh had said, “there’s no rush. It’s not as if we’ve left everything until Christmas Eve, right?”

A few minutes later John turned into a side street and stopped outside an ordinary-looking brick building, with the simple sign “A Cake Shop” over the doorway.  
“Here we are - and it’s not too busy so we’ll get a seat. You hop out and I’ll go park.”  
Two minutes later he was back, leading her inside and over to the display cabinets. At first, Kayleigh could only stare, then... “Oh, wow...”  
“Told you, didn’t I?”

Ten minutes later, Kayleigh put her fork on the now-empty plate and leaned back in her chair. “They don’t skimp on portions here, do they?”  
John grinned. “No, they don’t.”  
“Just as well that we’ve finished for the day. Don’t think I could get very far, being this full. Not comfortably, anyway.”  
“Maybe not, but I see this as a nice little reward for our efforts so far. And it has been good today, hasn’t it?”  
“Yeah.” She squeezed his hand. “I’ve really enjoyed all this. Got loads done. I’ve only got three things left to get for Christmas, and you’re about the same, I guess?”  
“Near enough to it.”  
“You’re so good to Ben and Sophie. They’re not going to forget this Christmas in a hurry.”  
“Well, it’s my last chance to spoil them, for a while at least. My new job comes with a pay cut, remember?”  
“True, but I’m sure they’ll love whatever you give them. Oh, that reminds me - can I leave all my presents at yours in the meantime? There’s nowhere to really hide them at home, is all.”  
“Sure, that’s fine.”

“So, what time do you think you’ll be by to pick me up tomorrow? Please not too early, as I’d like a lie-in. I think it’d be nice to go out for breakfast, don’t you?”  
John hesitated. “Um, actually...”  
“What?”  
“I don’t want to come and get you tomorrow.”  
Her face fell. “But... why?”  
“I’ve been thinking... I was thinking it would be nice if you stayed over again.”  
“Really?”  
“Really. I’d like you to stay over tonight. I really enjoyed having you there, especially this morning when we had breakfast and talked without having to watch the clock like we usually do.”  
Kayleigh didn’t react, but her mind was racing.  
“But only if you want to,” he added quickly. “Don’t stay just because it’s convenient and we can make an early start in the morning.”  
Kayleigh opened her mouth but didn’t speak, so he pressed on.  
“I understand if you’ve got something planned, or would prefer not to.”  
“Oh. Um... Can I think about it?”  
John shrugged. “Of course you can. There’s no rush to decide either way.” He focussed on sipping his tea, fully aware that Kayleigh was doing the same.  
It took less than a minute of silence before the awkwardness became too much for John, who made a show of rubbing his fingertips together before standing up. “I’m gonna go wash my hands...” he said to no one in particular.  
And failed to see the growing smile on her face.

The few crumbs on his fingers were long gone by the time John turned off the tap and reached for the paper towels. “Well, she hasn’t said No yet. That’s something.” He looked at his reflection in the mirror. “Just... don’t get your hopes up.”

A minute later Kayleigh looked up from her phone to see John approaching from her left. “Were you lost?”  
“I was at the counter asking when they’re not usually busy. I’d like to bring Mum and Rose here sometime, but only when it’s quiet - otherwise Rose would struggle to move in and around the place if it was packed, you see.”  
“But the counter is over there,” she said, pointing to her right.  
“Checked the weather as well.”  
“How’s it looking?”  
“No better.”  
“Oh. So what’s in the box?”  
“I bought some of the tea I’ve just had, but in teabags. They call it “French Woodland Mix” which doesn’t make any sense, but it tastes really nice so I’m having it. I’ll keep them at work as a treat.”  
Kayleigh was nodding. “Are you not going to sit down?”  
“No. I think we should get moving. They told me this is when the place starts getting really busy, so I’m guessing they’ll be wanting this table soon. But you stay put while I bring the car closer to the door. Just for a minute, okay?”

********************

The A56 was busy so the drive to Bury was slow. To pass the time they played a game of “spot the green Mini” - and John was losing. Badly.  
“This game isn’t fair,” complained John. “I can’t always take my hand of the wheel to pinch you whenever I spot one.”  
“That’s a shame,” replied Kayleigh, her grin growing all the time. “Oh - is that another one up ahead?”  
“No it bloody isn’t. That’s a Citroen like your Mandy’s got. And you know it.”

Kayleigh’s giggle was interrupted by an alarm coming from the pocket in the driver’s door. “Oh, hang on - that’s my cue for the catchup call,” said John, “but I shouldn’t really call them until I drop you home.”  
Kayleigh was looking at signposts out of the side window. “We’re not even at Whitefield yet, John. Still ages away. If you don’t want to keep them waiting, just call them. I’ll be quiet. Unless you’re expecting to talk about things I’m not supposed to hear?”  
“No, no, it should be... All right. I’ll pull over.”  
After parking in the next side street John used the dashboard Bluetooth controls to connect to his phone, then scrolled through the contacts list before tapping CONNECT. “This’ll be like old times - you listening in on one of my work calls in the car.”  
Kayleigh rolled her eyes at the memory.

Brenda’s voice came clearly through the speakers. “Hi John.”  
“Hi Brenda. Hi James.”  
“Hi John.”  
“All right Brenda,” said John, “first things first. Tell me about that accident this morning.”  
Kayleigh’s eyes widened as Brenda began to speak. “Not much more to say, really. The little girl slipped in the rain in the carpark, fell straight onto her arm. Megan was out there like a shot and looked after her until the ambulance turned up.”  
“Wow. Megan to the rescue, again. Will you write up a commendation for her?”  
“Already done. It’s going to be a big loss when she leaves, John.”  
“It will. But we’ve already got three more lined up for the First Aid training.”  
“True, and another two doing refresher courses, but there’ll still be times when we don’t have a First Aider on site. And after seeing that little girl today....” her voice trailed off.  
John already had his notepad out. “I’ll bring it up at the eight-thirty on Monday, plus sort something for the noticeboards. Let’s see if we can get more people interested in that training. I’ll also make sure Dave stays on top of it.”

“That won’t be the only big loss we’ll have,” said James. “Congratulations, mate.”  
“I told James when he arrived,” said Brenda. “I didn’t think you’d mind.”  
“It sounds like a fantastic opportunity, John,” James continued.  
“That’s what I’m hoping. And, you know, my leaving opens up another opportunity...”  
“Not a chance,” replied James. “I went for late shifts and weekends so I’d never have to see Thompson. There’s no way I’d put up with his shit face-to-face, and certainly not five days a week. I don’t know how you do it, mate.”  
“Well, you know,” said John, “bills don’t pay themselves... Anyway. Anything else about your day, Brenda?”  
“No. Plain sailing otherwise.”  
“Good stuff. All right then - tell me about the freezer.”  
“Just under fifteen hundred pounds’ worth of stock was spoiled...” Brenda began.

Kayleigh sat, fascinated, as the three managers discussed the freezer, the required repairs, the implications of the fault and possible impacts if those repairs were delayed. She realised, again, just how little she knew about the work John did and the amount of responsibility he obviously carried in his job. More telling was the obvious mutual respect between the three managers as they talked through the issues and the high regard in which John held his colleagues, even though John’s title gave him seniority. It was in stark contrast to the way that Dave Thompson regarded everyone else.  
John noticed that she was looking at him. “What?” he mouthed.  
She smiled and shook her head, listening as James ended with “...until we get the invoice after the repair tomorrow, and then all that can go to the insurers.”  
John was nodding. “Well... that’s something. James - any concerns on your part for the rest of the day?”  
“None, John.”  
“And you’re both happy with your shifts next weekend when we’re back running twenty-four hours?”  
“Fine here.”  
“Me too.”  
“All right then. I guess we’re done. James - just the usual late-text, please.”  
“Will do.”  
“Thanks mate, and have a good day. Thank you Brenda. I’ll call you in the morning.”  
They ended the call.

John continued to write in his notepad, aware that Kayleigh was watching him. He glanced over. “What?”  
“Megan’s leaving?  
“At the end of the month, but no one’s supposed to know for another week, so not a word, please.”  
“Where’s she going?”  
“Back to Glasgow. She’s going to live at home and save like mad for a year or so, then work on getting into the Ambulance Service up there.”  
“Really?”  
“Yep. After she and Joanne helped those injured guys in the carpark a few Sundays ago, Megan asked if the store would cover the cost of some advanced First Aid training. She did it, loved it and wants to do that as a job.”  
He closed his notebook. “Brenda’s right - her leaving is a big loss. But... I think her being able to help people is more important than sorting out dried goods in a supermarket, don’t you?”  
Kayleigh was nodding. “So what’s she going to do in the meantime?”  
“I found her a job in one of our stores up there, not far from where she’ll be living as it turned out. Starts this time next month. Obviously I owe that Manager a favour now, but it’s worth it.”  
Kayleigh was quiet for a moment. “Won’t Dave be annoyed that you helped her get a job somewhere else, right after the store paid for her extra First Aid training?”  
“Probably,” he conceded, “but she was going to leave anyway. And, besides - it’s not as if Dave paid for it out of his own pocket.”

The sound of light rain on the windscreen got John’s attention, and he made a face when he saw the approaching clouds. “It’s time we got going.”  
But when he reached for the handbrake he found Kayleigh’s hand was already there. “Um...”  
“John?”  
“Kayleigh?”  
“Yes.”  
“Yes... what?”  
“Yes. I would like to stay over tonight.”  
A smile. “Okay. Great.”


	7. Saturday afternoon

After pulling up outside the small Bury house, John and Kayleigh opened the rear car doors and started to pick through the boxes. The front door opened and they heard a familiar voice. “How do, strangers.”  
“Hey, Steve,” said Kayleigh. “What you doing home already?”  
“Power cut an hour ago. Boss just told us to go.”  
“That’s decent of her.”  
Kayleigh chose two of the boxes from the back seat and started inside. “I’ll just go put some clothes in a bag.”  
“Okay,” replied John.  
“She’s doing what?”  
“I’ve asked her to stay over tonight.”  
Steve’s face was neutral. “Oh, right.”  
As the front door was closing they could hear the sound of Misty, Alfie and Chloe competing for Kayleigh’s attention. They both smiled, then John turned his attention to the boot.  
“Are you not going in?” asked Steve.  
“Best not. Kayleigh’s not convinced that Misty likes me, so rather than upsetting things I’ll just stay out here.”  
Steve frowned. “She’s just a dog. We can put her out the back for a bit.”  
“It’s only for a few minutes. It’s fine.”  
“Well...” Steve noted the stack of boxes in the boot. “She’s left you with a mountain to carry. Need some help?”  
“No need.” He lowered his voice. “We went Christmas shopping and Kayleigh got some things for, um...” He discreetly pointed inside to which Steve nodded. “We’ll keep them all at mine, bring them round closer to the day.”  
“Good idea.”  
“But can you take these in?”  
Steve looked inside the branded bag. “Curtains?”  
John pointed at Kayleigh’s window. “You know about her needing it really dark to sleep properly?”  
“Sure.”  
“My guest room has really good curtains so it’s pitch-black in there. She was dead-set on nicking them so we found her a set this morning. If you could help her put them up that would help a lot.”  
“No bother. I’ll do that today, as a surprise.”  
“Thanks for that.”

They were briefly distracted by a burst of Chloe vs Alfie squabbling from inside but the single “Hey!” from Mandy cut it short. John puffed out his cheeks before turning back to Steve, who was unmoved.  
“So,” said John, “have you heard yet if you’re getting an actual Christmas holiday this year?”  
“Yep, heard on Friday. Last day is the morning of the twenty-fourth and we’re back properly on the third. But I’m one of the two guys on call for any issues, so there might be a bit of work in between. Fingers crossed, there won’t be too much. Still - there’s an allowance in it for me, which will be handy. How about you?”  
“I’m at work every day except Christmas Day and New Years.”  
“You only get two days off?”  
“Have to be there when the store is open, don’t I? Them’s the rules. But it’s not just me.”  
“But Kayleigh will be off work for about six or seven days. At least.”  
“Yep. Companies don’t run big promotions across Christmas because their pitch tends to get lost in all the Christmas noise. She could have asked to do extra shifts anyway but didn’t. And we’ve got extra temp staff through to mid-January so won’t be short of bodies.”  
Steve was shaking his head. “Only two days off... So, when is the the last time you had an actual holiday?”  
“I had a week off in February...”  
“And before that?  
John looked thoughtful. “Three years back, more or less. I didn’t care about taking time off after that, and there was nowhere I wanted to go so just didn’t bother.”  
Steve was nodding as the front door opened and they heard Chloe’s voice drifting through: “...but I’ll miss you...”  
“Oh, sweetheart... I’ll be back tomorrow. You can show me the horses then, okay? Bye, bye, bye...”  
Kayleigh stepped out and quietly closed the door behind her. “Had to make a break for it there...” She looked at John and Steve in turn. “Please tell me you’re not talking about motorbikes.”  
“We’re not talking about motorbikes.”  
“Good.” She put her bag in the car before glancing at the sky. “Let’s get going. The weather’s about to pack up again so it’ll be dark and miserable soon.”  
“Good thinking.”

A few minutes down the road, Kayleigh was smiling in her seat. “That was sweet, Chloe not wanting me to go. Felt really nice.”  
John pulled up at the intersection and stopped to allow a handful of cars to go through. But “Little Blue” didn’t move once the the road was clear.  
“John? Is something wrong?”  
He was looking straight ahead. “Would you like to go back? We can turn around if you want.”  
“But... you’ve asked me to stay over.”  
“Yes. And now I’m asking if you’d rather go back.”  
“You’d take me back there if I asked you to?”  
“Yes.”  
“John...” She looked over her shoulder. The road behind them was clear. “Come here.”  
“Hmmm?”  
“Come here.”  
He leaned across and was met by her waiting lips, her fingers gently caressing his cheek.  
John was smiling. “So. Do you want to go back?”  
Kayleigh didn’t hesitate. “No.” Another kiss. “I’m their auntie, not their Mum. I want to spend time with you.”  
She glanced back at the road behind them. Still clear. Another kiss.  
“But not here in the middle of the road. Let’s go raid the store further up, go back to yours, make ourselves a nice dinner then park in front of the TV and feast on crisps and chocolate until late. Tell me that’s not a great idea.”  
“It’s a great idea.”  
She sat back and patted his leg. “Well, best we get moving, then.”

********************

Ten minutes later, John turned into the carpark of a rival supermarket chain.  
“Ohhhh...” teased Kayleigh, “isn’t this breaking some kind of rule, you shopping at a different store?”  
“No. It’s just accepted that people will shop wherever they want to, or have to. We don’t keep score like that.” He waited for a white VW Beetle to pass by before taking a parking space. “And us shopping here won’t even register on their sales numbers for the day. You need to have thousands of people coming through your store - or not - to make an impact.”

Once they were inside, Kayleigh leaned closer to John and nudged his arm. “I’ve always thought that these shops have a wide range of things but it’s all a bit plain-looking inside.”  
“Hmmm,” he agreed, “but it works for them. It’s about them keeping a lid on costs wherever they can. A no-nonsense setup, not too many frills.”  
“Although I have to say, John,” she whispered, “I do like these little wheeled baskets they have here.”  
“So do I,” he muttered. “But don’t tell them that. Come on then - let’s get this done.”

After looking at the entry Kayleigh had hurriedly scrawled on their shopping list, John took charge of the shopping basket and moved them efficiently around the various aisles, collecting every other item as they went. They then returned to the wine section, where Kayleigh stood silently and eyed up the four-packs of mini-wines.  
“John, I can’t decide.”  
“I have no idea what you like, so can’t help you with this.” He pulled out his phone, tapped on the “Weather Radar” icon and showed her the display. “All I can tell you is that we will get soaked if you don’t choose something in the next five minutes.”  
She huffed. “Showing me that doesn’t help either.”  
When she turned back to the wine racks John recognised a face at the end of the aisle. “Oh, hello.”  
“Hmmm?”  
“I’ll be back in a minute. I just want to say Hi to someone.”  
“Sure.” She watched him walk quickly down the aisle then turned her attention back to the shelves. He wasn’t gone for long.  
“Who did you see? A mate of yours?”  
“No - that was Ray Casey, your old boss from the Stockport store.” John nodded at Kayleigh’s expression. “He’s one of the Assistant Managers here. Left us and joined this lot when he moved house. Usual story - he was trying to get ahead but there was nowhere to go, so when they shifted he decided to try his luck in this place. And it’s a much shorter commute as well.”  
“Wait - he went from being the Manager in Stockport to Assistant Manager here?”  
“Yep. Bigger store and better opportunities once he proves himself. And he will. So. Picked anything yet?”  
“Just now. I’ve decided on these.” A four-pack of the largest mini-bottles in the wine section.  
John nodded. “Of course you did,” he thought.

********************

It was raining lightly when “Little Blue” stopped outside John’s house. John dashed in and returned with a second umbrella, then they worked in tandem to take the boxes and groceries inside. And after putting the car in the garage he went straight into the kitchen where Kayleigh had unpacked the groceries and was putting the wine in the fridge.  
“First things first,” he said, “I’m going to do some potato-prep. Shouldn’t take long.”  
“But it’s too early to be thinking about dinner, John.”  
“No, no - getting the chips right is very important. I want to do this first bit now. But that does beg the question - when should we aim to have dinner, then? ‘Cos it’s twenty to four, now.”  
“I don’t know. How about six o’clock?”  
“Sounds good.” He switched on the kettle. “I’ll bring teas through when I’m done here.”  
“Okay . I’ll take everything upstairs.”  
“Take your bag up but leave everything else.”  
“Huh?”  
“I’m thinking that we could wrap the presents now. Well - have some tea, wrap the presents, watch a bit of TV, dinner, then more TV or whatever. How’s that for a plan?”  
“Sounds great. Should we have some Christmas music playing while we’re wrapping the presents?”  
“Um....”  
“I’m taking that as a “Yes”, John. In fact, I’ll start it playing now.”  
John mock-groaned as Kayleigh headed out to the lounge, but then smiled to himself as he reached for the peeler. “Serves you right, Redmond...”

With the potatoes cut and soaking, John made their drinks and took them out to the table where Kayleigh had the scissors, tape and newly-bought paper laid out. John briefly left the room then returned with a plastic bag containing some silver wrapping paper.  
Kayleigh looked confused. “You’ve got wrapping paper.”  
“Yes. But it’s a bit plain.”  
“But you said you’d forgotten to put paper and cards on your list.”  
“I had. I wanted to make more of an effort this year - since the new job doesn’t pay as well and things will be a bit tight for a while. I wanted to make it more special than usual. More fun. Especially for the kids.”  
“I’ve told you John, they’ll love whatever you give them.”  
“Yeah, but - it’s the whole Christmas-morning thing I’m thinking of. You know, where they’re awake far too early and rush out to see what’s under the tree.”  
“It’s not just the kids that do that, you know.”  
“I just think that a load of brightly-coloured presents under the tree looks more fun than if they’re all wrapped in silver and look a bit... samey.”  
Kayleigh was nodding. “I get you. And because they’re all nice and bright with a load of pictures on them, the kids will take a minute to look at the paper rather than just-”  
“... ripping them apart like a kitten with a toilet roll,” he finished.  
Kayleigh smiled. “Have you been watching cat videos on YouTube again?”  
“Might have been...” He was pointing. “Can you pass me the tartan-tape, please?”

********************

At six-forty they were in the kitchen, rinsing their dinner plates before putting them in the dishwasher.  
“I don’t understand why you don’t make more of your cooking ability, John. “I try” is all you said to me that time.” She pointed at the plate. “That was lovely.”  
“It was just burgers and chips.”  
“It was perfect burgers and chips, John. And I get the double-dunk thing with the chips. I get that now.”  
“I don’t get how you think it’s normal to eat burgers with your fingers but chips have to be eaten with a fork. You don’t eat your takeaway-fries with a fork.”  
“Well, no, but it’s not the same, is it? For a start, takeaway places usually don’t give you a fork. And, when you’re buying takeaway-fries it’s usually because you’re, well, you’ve run out of options, run out of ideas, desperate-slash-starving or a bit pissed. Well, not you-you, but.. you know.”  
“Oh, sure.” He closed the door of the dishwasher. “So. Do you want to have dessert now, or wait?”  
She puffed out her cheeks and slowly breathed out. “Honestly? I think I’d like to skip dessert tonight. Unheard of, I know, but - after your delicious dinner, and all that cake this afternoon, and the bits of mince I was sneaking off the frypan when you weren’t looking-”  
“What?”  
“I’m just full, John. But if you want to have one of the little puddings, go ahead. I think I’ll finish off with a coffee, then relax. And maybe have a little wine in an hour or so.”  
“Well, fair enough. I... I think I’ll just have a little bit of ice cream. You sure you don’t mind?”  
“No, no - go for it.”  
“Okay, then. Park up and I’ll bring your coffee through.”

John’s first trip through was with her coffee - “Thank you, John” - and the next was with a bowl of ice cream with two small spoons. He placed it on the table, picked up a spoon and slowly moved it back and forward above the ice cream, his eyes locked on hers.  
“Go on. You know you want to.”  
She hesitated, then grinned. “Ohhh... give it here.”

********************

After half an hour of aimless channel-surfing, John connected his laptop to the TV and they turned to YouTube for their entertainment, simply following the suggested videos in the “Up next” list. John had also found a suitable station on the stereo, the music burbling quietly in the background as they navigated their way through videos of cats, careless motorists and a few concert-clips.

While watching a pixelated Russian park his lorry on a police car, a question occurred to Kayleigh. “What’s the kind of thing you’d be watching if I wasn’t here?”  
“Mostly this kind of thing.”  
“Anything else?”  
He looked sideways at her. “I doubt you’d be interested.”  
She smirked. “Should I be worried about your Internet habits, John?”  
He frowned when he realised what she’d implied. “I just think you’d be bored.”  
“But you watch it. Go on - show me.”  
“Well, all right.” He brought up his list of favourites, which was simply grouped:  
“Music and theory”  
“Business skills”  
“People skills”

He expanded “Business skills” and brought up a list of linked pages that easily filled the screen. “YouTube’s not all cats and car crashes - there’s a lot of useful stuff there as well. Looking through all these pages gave me quite a few ideas of how we might do things a bit differently at the store, but it was impossible with Dave being so controlling. Like trying to swim in mud...” His voice trailed off as he glanced at her. “Told you it was boring.”  
“No, no - I’ve just always seen YouTube as something to keep me amused more than anything else.”  
“And I think that’s the main appeal of YouTube now. But there’s a ton of stuff put up by people who just want to share. You never know - there might be something along the lines of the Health and Beauty course you told me about once.”  
Her face was neutral.  
“Although maybe now isn’t the time.” He handed her the laptop. “Your turn to pick. Um, would you like one of your wines?”  
“Yes please, John.”  
He was briefly gone, then returned with a bottle and a wine glass on a tray. “There you go. I’m just going to put some trackies on. Can you turn the heater up a bit, please?”

When he returned they settled back and watched a series of clips from obscure eighties bands that time and taste had forgotten. After fetching a second wine bottle for Kayleigh, he went to the small cabinet by the table and returned with a bottle of Baileys and a small glass.  
She looked at him in surprise. “You’ve got some of that?”  
“Yep.”  
“Did you forget you had it?”  
“No.”  
He poured a drink for himself then recapped the bottle and put it on the tray. “Didn’t really feel like one until now.”  
He sat next to her on the sofa and they clinked their glasses in a silent toast. “But I was also waiting, in case you changed your mind about staying - so I could drive you home.”  
“But I told you this afternoon that I wanted to stay tonight.”  
“You did. I’m not saying you would, or should change your mind. It was just in case.  
And, besides,” he added, “I only ever have the one so I tend to hold off until a bit later in the evening. It’s nearly but not-quite a nightcap.”

Kayleigh looked again at the bottle of Baileys on the coffee table.  
“Can I ask you something, John?”  
“Sure.”  
“Have you ever been drunk?”  
“Of course I have.”  
“Really?!”  
“You don’t have to say it quite like that.”  
“But...”  
“Yes. But not for years.”  
“So, what happened that John Redmond ended up getting drunk?”  
“I’d only had a couple of drinks, ever, before I started working, and even then it wasn’t often. But I didn’t really drink-drink until I first started getting into the management stream at work, when they would send you on courses and whatever as part of the training. And you’d have drinks at the end of each day as the course went along, with the big effort at the end. Along with everyone else. To fit in, as you do. Well, as you think you’re supposed to. Anyway...  
The last time was yet-another training course for work. Still don’t remember much about it, to be honest, except that I woke up the next morning feeling like my head was being stomped on, then struggled to make sense of the day. And that night I still felt a bit sick so kept away from it. But all the others were back on it, and at ten o’clock that night I watched eight or nine so-called “professional” men in their early thirties literally pissing their money away against a wall. For the third night in a row.  
And I just thought - “Nah”.  
And that was that.”

“But you’ve had a drink with me before.”  
“I have. Because you asked me to. And when I’ve joined in the toast at weddings and whatever. But I don’t “drink” as such any more. Just the occasional one of those.” He pointed to the Baileys.  
“The occasional bottle?” she joked.  
“Very occasional,” he replied, missing the joke. “That one’s lasted nearly two years, I think.”  
“Really?”

He hesitated. “Well, can I ask you something now?”  
“Okay.”  
“How long were you smoking for?”  
“Oh. Um...”  
“I’m guessing - maybe for a while a long time ago, or briefly, relatively recently? I mean - if I’m wrong, I’m wrong...”  
“I did but not for years. How did you know?”  
“A guess. It’s the way you sometimes hold your hands, where your two fingers are clamped together like you’re holding a cigarette. Other times, same thing but it’s as if you’re flicking ash.” He demonstrated as he spoke. “Especially when you’re looking stressed.”  
She sighed. “It was for about six years, on and off. Mostly off,” she quickly added. “Started when I was sixteen when me and Mum weren’t getting along, and I joined up with a bunch that Mum had no time for and just did what they did. And then I would or wouldn’t, depending on if the then-boyfriend did or didn’t. And at work-drinks, and in pubs and wherever.”  
“To fit in, huh?”  
“Yeah, basically.” She was quiet for a moment. “I stopped after a big stand-off with Mum. I’d had to basically beg to come home after my cousin rang up to brag about what she’d been up to with my boyfriend-”  
“The drug dealer?” John interrupted.  
“Urgh. Yes. She let me come home, it was civil for a while but then the arguments started again. It would kick off, we’d both get wound up and I’d eventually light a cigarette to annoy her so she’d give up and leave. But that last time... she just wouldn’t give up, and I ended up chain-smoking for nearly an hour simply because she hated it so much.”  
“Right...”  
“And ended up vomiting so hard I thought I might actually die.”  
“Ewww...”  
“Which she thought was hilarious.” She looked at John. “Yeah. That’s the kind of relationship we had at the time.”  
“But not now?”  
“No. Now it’s more mild contempt and unspoken disappointment. Anyway. I puked, she laughed, I moved into a non-smoking flat, and haven’t since.”

“The things we do to ourselves to fit in,” John mused.

They were both quiet after that, sipping their drinks and watching until the last YouTube clip in the playlist ended. After listening to the rain get progressively heavier, Kayleigh put her empty glass on the tray, eased closer to John and rubbed her arms.  
“You all right, there? Should I turn the heater up a bit?”  
“Yes please - but I think I’ll put something warmer on as well.”

While she was upstairs John went through to the kitchen and draped a hand towel across the cups and mugs in the just-finished dishwasher. He returned to the lounge to see Kayleigh in...  
“Pyjamas?”  
“Nope.” She opened the robe. “What do you think, John?”  
“Huh. It’s... blue.”  
“Yes.”  
“Is it warm?”  
“It’s quite warm, but best to have something over top. Like this lovely robe that is much better than mine. I may have to steal it.”  
“Hmmm... First the curtains, now my robe. Anything else of mine you’re thinking of nicking?”  
“Give me a chance, John - I haven’t seen your whole house, yet.”  
“Huh. Anyway. That property program you like is coming on shortly. It’s a four-hour mini-marathon. Should we start watching that?”  
“Okay. Mandy reckons there’s some programs where the pair of them look a bit flushed in the face, like they’ve just been caught out by the camera crew. Keep your eyes peeled for that...”

********************

John had been aware for five minutes that Kayleigh had fallen asleep against his shoulder before he realised what he needed to do.  
He noted the time. 10:12 PM  
He looked at Kayleigh, thought about the stairs and immediately thought - “No.”  
He slowly moved out from under her shoulder and lowered her down, slipping a cushion under her head as he did so, then covered her with a blanket from the small room to the right of the lounge.  
Satisfied that she was warm and comfortable, he turned the TV down, went to the table and started to check the evening rosters from Boxing Day through to New Years Eve.

Meanwhile...

The beach was theirs. The sun was high and bright, the breeze just enough to take the sting out of the heat, the drinks cool and refreshing. Kayleigh looked up from her book and over to her companion who was lying face-down on the sun lounger.  
There was something about the way that sunlight reflected from his bare, broad shoulders that always made Kayleigh catch her breath. She reached for the bottle by her feet. “Darling, let me rub sunscreen on you...”  
He didn’t answer, merely sat up and presented his back to her. She sat behind him, squeezed some lotion onto her fingertips and reached for his neck - only to hear the distinctive sound of an old ringer-type telephone seemingly coming out of thin air. She looked around. “Um, what’s that noise?”  
Ted2 hurriedly reached for the rotary-dialled phone on the table that had just appeared beside him. But the voice that said “Shit - that’s loud...” wasn’t his.  
Kayleigh blinked. “Huh?”

She woke with a start, initially in a panic at the unfamiliar surroundings but then quickly realised where she was. She let her head fall back onto the cushion and groaned. “Oh, not again...”  
She looked up and around to see John sitting at the table. He smiled. “Hello there.”

She struggled to sit up. “Um, John, was there a noise just then?”  
“Yeah... that was the late-text from James at the store. I forgot to put it on vibrate. Sorry about that.”  
“Late text? How late?”  
“It’s just after eleven.”  
“How long was I asleep, then?”  
“About an hour. Maybe a bit longer.”  
“Oh... John - why didn’t you wake me?”  
John got up as he spoke. “I’ve got no business making you stay awake. You’re clearly tired.”  
“Oh... I didn’t snore, did I?”  
“A little bit, just at the start.”  
He sat next to her on the sofa and helped adjust the blanket. Kayleigh leaned against him, her head resting on his shoulder.  
“This is no good, John. I can’t keep doing this.”  
“Hey, it’s fine.”  
“But we can’t make the most of our time together if I’m sleeping though loads of it.”  
“It was only an hour. I’m actually quite pleased.”  
“You’re... how does me being asleep make you happy? John, that doesn’t make sense.”  
“It’s the fact that you feel so comfortable here, that you can let your guard down, and relax. Really relax.”  
“Asleep and quiet on your sofa, you mean?”  
“No. So comfortable that you can come into this place and make yourself at home, near enough. That you can just... sort out the heater and Sky when you come in. That you can help yourself to breakfast. That you can dive in and help with our dinner as you did. And that you can allow yourself to relax and sleep if you have to, not force yourself to stay awake because you feel you should.”  
He smiled.  
“And because you think nothing of wearing whatever you want to. In this case, a blue onesie.”  
“A blue onesie, complete with bumflap,” she said.  
“Complete with bumflap,” he agreed. He was looking at the hood. “And a pattern that I just can’t work out. Is it meant to be the night sky?”  
“It’s supposed to show all the star signs. I saw it on a website and thought, “I’m having that.” It’s a China-cheapie, but made so cheaply that the pattern isn’t really anything. But it’s dead comfortable and warm, so I’ve kept it.”  
“You don’t... you don’t wear that at home, do you?”  
“I did all the time when I was on me own back in the house. But I’d wear a robe when Keiron or visitors were there, and I always wear a robe with it at home. Now.”  
“Now?”  
“I didn’t at the start, but then Mandy asked me to.”  
“She tells you what clothes to wear?”  
She winced. “No, it’s... the first time I wore it both the kids sat next to me and were looking at it.”  
“Sure.”  
“Chloe was... like you, trying to work out what the patterns were meant to be.”  
“Okay...”  
“Alfie wasn’t looking at the patterns. He was looking at... me.”  
“You?”  
“My boobs, specifically.”  
“Oh. That’s... awkward.”  
“Yeah. Once Mandy realised what he was doing, Steve had a quiet word with Alfie, and Mandy had a word with me. She suggested I keep a robe on, just so there was nothing for Alfie to look at. Or try not to look at, anyway.”  
John nodded. “Right...”

The next few moments were quiet. Too quiet for John. He pointed at the wine bottle on the coffee table.  
“I’m assuming you don’t want another one of those?”  
“Oh, no. It’s time I was in bed.”  
“Okay. Well, you might as well go up.” He picked up the tray of glasses and bottles. “Your electric blanket is already on.”  
“Really?”  
“Been on for about half an hour so should be good and warm. I’ll work on tidying everything up down here.”  
“You’re not going to stay up, are you?”  
“No. I’ve got to be up and properly awake before half-seven so need to be getting to sleep pretty soon myself. Sorting things down here won’t take me long.”  
“But...”  
“It’s all right.” He smiled. “Go on up.”

She was waiting at the top of the stairs when he’d finished checking the doors and windows. “Oh,” said John, “have you not been in the bathroom yet?”  
“Yeah, but I’m not going without a goodnight kiss, am I? Come on, then.”

Their kiss was immediately followed by her yawn. “Oh, excuse me...”  
“Time you were in bed, Little Miss Sleepy,” he said. “Do you still want to go out for breakfast tomorrow?”  
“Oh, yes.”  
“All right. Well, I won’t wake you any earlier than about nine o’clock, and we’ll aim to be out of here by ten. Sound all right?”  
“Sounds perfect, John.”  
He gently kissed her forehead.  
“Goodnight, beautiful.”

He waited for Kayleigh to close the guest room door before going into the bathroom, again trying to be as quiet as possible. Once in bed he started his “noisy visitor” routine to help him sleep, trying to clear his mind and focus on his deliberately-slow breathing, hoping to be as relaxed as possible before the expected snoring started.  
What he didn’t expect was to hear gentle tapping on the door.  
“John?”  
“Um, hello?”  
“Are you awake?”  
He chuckled. “I think so. Yes.”  
“I can’t sleep.”  
“Are you thirsty? Are you going to ask me to get you a glass of water?”  
She giggled. “No. I know you’ve got to be awake early, but can I sit with you for a little while?”  
“Sure. Come in.”  
She opened the door. “Shit, it’s dark in here.”  
“Right. Hang on.” He reached back and tapped the base of the bedside lamp to his right, turning it on at it’s lowest setting. “There you go.”  
She walked in, pushed the door partly closed... and waited.  
He tapped the bed. “On you get.”  
She sat and leaned back against the wall, the robe covering her legs.  
“So,” said John, “a little bird tells me you can’t sleep.”  
“No,” she yawned.  
“Well, you’re clearly tired, so... is it because you’re feeling full? Or thirsty? Do you actually need a glass of water after all?”  
“John?”  
“Yes?”  
“Shut up.”  
He grinned. “Okay.”

She reached her hand towards him and wiggled her fingers until he took it in his own.  
“I’ve been with you pretty much all day today, and I’ve loved it,” she said. “I’ve loved it. But I don’t want today to end with me sleeping in there by myself.”  
“Are you asking to sleep in here tonight?”  
She paused. “Yes.”  
He didn’t hesitate. “Okay. But you’ll need to turn off the electric blanket on that other bed, is all.”  
Kayleigh smiled as she got off the bed and stepped towards the door... before pushing it fully closed and letting the robe slip from her shoulders, revealing the nightie beneath.  
“I’ve already done it...”

She draped the robe across the bed, then lifted the covers and got in. “Oh, this is comfy... Hey. This side of the bed is warm.”  
“It should be. Both halves of the electric blanket are on.”  
“You... were you expecting me to sleep in here tonight?”  
“Hoping. I was hoping.”  
“You were-”  
“But after your nap earlier I really didn’t know if you’d want to. But I’m very glad that you do.”

They were both quiet for a few moments.  
“Kayleigh?”  
“Yes?”  
“I need to turn the light off.”  
“Hmmm... don’t want you to. Not just yet.”  
“It’s kind of important that I do. And soon, actually.”  
She mock-pouted. “All right, but come a bit closer first. Come on.”  
He shuffled to his left then turned on his side to face her. She leaned across and kissed him. “I wanted to look at you when I did that.” Another kiss. “You can turn the light off now.”

He rolled to his right and the room was plunged into darkness. Neither of them spoke while John made himself comfortable.  
Then Kayleigh started tapping the mattress. “No. No good. Back you come.”  
“Kayleigh...”  
“Or I’ll steal all the covers. Get back here.”

They moved tentatively in the darkness until their lips found each other again, each kissing the other in turn.  
John was the first to pull his face back. “Kayleigh... seriously. We have to stop doing this.”  
Her final kiss was the softest. “All right then, Mr Redmond, you are free to go. You need to get some sleep. You’ve got an early start in the morning, remember?”  
John chuckled as he rolled onto his back. “Jesus...”


	8. Sunday morning, nine o’clock

The sound of the door slowly opening caught John’s attention. He looked up from his paperwork to see Kayleigh tentatively look around the door, her finger held to her lips.  
“It’s all right. I’m not on the phone. Come in.”  
“Morning. Hey, um... you’re dressed.”  
“I am. How’d you sleep?”  
“Almost too well, I think. Forgot where I was for a while.”  
She sat on the chair next to him. He kissed the back of her hand. “Hello.”  
She smiled. “Hi, John. Um,” she said, spotting the plate and spoon off to one side, “have you had breakfast already?”  
“Just a little bit. A couple of hours ago.”  
“Are we not going out for breakfast, then?”  
“Sure we are.”  
“But you’ve eaten already.”  
“Part of my weekend routine is to have breakfast before calling the store, to get my brain working, you see. I’d only planned to have a piece of toast this morning, but I’d been awake for ages and was starving so had some cereal instead. But I definitely want to go out for breakfast.”  
“Oh, good. So, when did you wake up, then?”  
“About six.”  
“You weren’t awake that early yesterday. Did you set an alarm?”  
“It wasn’t an alarm - it was someone sticking her cold feet against my legs that did it.” He arched his eyebrows at her. “There was no getting back to sleep after that so I had a shower and came down to get some work done.”  
“Oh...” She failed to suppress a smile. “Well, you were dead quiet - didn’t hear you at all.” She looked at the paper spread across the table. “What is all this?”  
“This,” he smiled, “is my exit plan. I’ve just now finished it - a list of everything that needs to be done in the next few weeks before Dave Thompson comes back. All I have to do now is follow the plan so when he comes back all that’s left is to hand the store back to him.” He was quiet for a moment. “And then I go.”

Kayleigh didn’t speak, just squeezed his hand.  
“What?” asked John.  
“It’s just - you saying that made it all seem more real, somehow. Reminded me that I won’t be seeing you at work for much longer.”  
“But with my working hours as they are, you’ve not seen much of me anyway, right?”  
“True, but there was always the chance that we could talk, or have lunch, or even just wave. There won’t be any of that once you’ve gone.”  
“But we can still text and talk during the day. It’ll be better, overall. We’ll both be working the same hours, we’ll be driving to and from work together pretty much every day, and since I won’t be doing six o’clock starts there’ll be less of a rush to get home afterwards, right? We can have relaxed nights out for dinner or movies or whatever, the weekends can be our own... it’ll be great.”  
“Yeah... Yeah.”

Kayleigh noted a wistful expression on John’s face as he organised the sheets of paper on the table, but it had been replaced by a gentle smile when he turned to face her. “Well, if we’ll be heading out for breakfast at about ten, we’ll need to think about where we’re going to go. We still want to finish our Christmas shopping from yesterday, right?”  
“We do,” she replied.  
“There’s two breakfast-places close by that I like, both doing the usuals - cereals, French toast, eggs, fry-ups and the rest.”  
“Sounds good.”  
“Or we could find something a bit closer to town. Then we can quickly pick up from where we left off yesterday.”  
“Sounds better.”  
“Right then. Although there is one slight hiccup - I will need to be in the store briefly after we have breakfast.”  
“Oh, John...”  
“It’s just for twenty minutes. I need to take a look at the state of that knackered freezer and pre-approve the costs to get it fixed in a hurry. Seriously - it’s twenty minutes. At most. But I won’t put you through that. I’ll drop you at the first place on what’s left of our list and meet you there when I’m done.”  
“Oh. Okay.”  
“Anyway, forgetting that for now,” - he glanced at the clock - “since there’s no rush for you to get ready, would you like some tea?”  
“Oh, yes please.”  
“Would you like that before or after your shower?”  
“Before, I think.”  
“Would you like a cheeky biscuit with it?”  
She grinned. “Do you really have to ask?”

********************

Breakfast had gone really well but John could see that Kayleigh wasn’t happy that he would be at work for even a small part of “their” morning. He dropped Kayleigh at the shopping centre - leaving her with a quick kiss and a promise that “I’ll only be twenty minutes” - then made a quick phone call on the way to the store so that Brenda Kelson would be waiting for him when he pulled into the car park. She took him straight to the front reception desk where Dennis was waiting to sign him in, then through to the Frozen Foods section where Steve was waiting.  
“Good morning, Steve. Thanks for coming in today.”  
“Good morning, Mr Redmond. Not a problem for me.”  
“Talk me through it. From what Brenda told me, we’re in better shape than we thought. Is that right?”  
“It is,” Steve replied. “The tech came in yesterday and worked out that it’s a simple part-swap that can be done in place cleanly and without disrupting the customers, so there was no need to move it through to the warehouse for the repair. If you approve the work straight away he can be here just before twelve, and will stay on site for two hours to make sure that it gets back to temperature and stays there. We plan to leave it running empty overnight to make doubly-sure that it’s working properly, then load it up first-thing tomorrow.”  
“I see. Are we likely to have capacity issues in the meantime?”  
“No, even if the fix doesn’t take. But we will be struggling if we’re still a freezer down in a weeks’ time.”  
John was nodding. “Understood.” He took the clipboard Brenda was offering, scrawled his signature on the attached form then showed it to Steve. “This is my approval for the repair to be done, so go ahead and call the tech.”  
He paused.  
“What I’m also going to do is authorise a one-off overtime payment for you, being one full day at time-plus, as compensation for your efforts today. It won’t be in this pay but,” he looked at Brenda, “we will make sure it’s in the next.”  
“Oh. Well, thank you.”  
“Thank you, Steve. Now please make that call, and keep Brenda informed on the progress of the repairs.”  
“I will.”  
“Very good. We’ll leave you to it.”

Brenda was quiet until after John had signed out at the reception desk and they were walking towards his car. “That was generous of you, John.”  
“He’s earned it.”  
“A full day of overtime for answering a few questions, then hanging around for a couple of hours while a tradie fixes a freezer?”  
“And the rest. Getting all the facts and explaining them in a way we could both understand, proposing a sensible approach and telling us about any risks. That’s “whole of job” thinking, right there. And on his day off as well.  
I mean, he obviously made the extra effort because he’s your nephew, but still...”

They were just short of “Little Blue” when Brenda patted his arm to get his attention. She gave him a curious look. “What exactly are you doing, John?”  
“Hey, I’m just doing what you suggested.”  
“Eh?”  
“You told me to work really hard and show them what I can do, given the chance. Alan Campbell told me to do whatever needs doing around here. Which is what I’ve been doing. Repairs, extra training, new equipment - all of that. I’m doing the best job I can so there’ll be no complaints when it’s time to hand this place back to Dave, and there’ll no reason for me to be held back.”  
“I know that part. I’m talking about how I’m seeing you deliberately making a point of how different you are to Dave, how differently you do things.”  
“Which you also suggested. I’m watching what the staff are doing, recognising their efforts and rewarding them where it’s appropriate. Standard, expected behaviour for managers, right?”  
“For Section heads and Line managers, maybe. Not for most Store managers. And neither was some of the other stuff you’ve been doing, like handing out meals to the late-shifters on Friday. And certainly not helping to stock shelves when we were short-staffed that morning the trains went haywire.” She waited until some customers had moved past before continuing. “If you’re thinking that what you’re doing will somehow make the staff miss you once you’ve gone - you’re going to be disappointed.”  
He leaned closer and lowered his voice. “I don’t care about that. What I’m wanting is for them to see that I got a whole lot of things done in a short time, including plenty of things that Dave had either put off for years or simply wouldn’t consider doing. So maybe they’ll have a clearer idea of what he’s really like, and what they can realistically expect from him when he’s back running the store.”  
“So?”  
“So... maybe they’ll be thinking about that when some new opportunities come up in the middle of next year.”  
The penny dropped. “When your project will be looking for experienced staff keen to transfer to the new stores being set up, you mean?”  
John didn’t reply - just grinned and shrugged.

Her grin matched his. “You sneaky bastard, Redmond.”

********************

John had a spring in his step as he walked out of the carpark and into the main entrance of the shopping centre. He was riding the escalator when her text-reply of “chemist” came through, so turned left when he got off at the top.  
He quickly spotted her when he looked through the main window, but after noting what products she was browsing he decided on discretion and walked a few paces past the door. The next thing he was aware of was a gentle nudge on his arm while occupied with his phone.

“That’s not for work, is it, John?”  
“No, no - just doing some research.”  
“Okay. So. What’s left for you to get, then? Your list was looking pretty sparse last night.”  
“Even less, now. I organised the online subscriptions this morning, I’ve got two things to collect while we’re in here, and this,” he held up his phone - “this is me looking for deals on chocolates. I put together little mix-and-match packs for Mum, Rose and Monique,” he explained. “And that will be the end of my Christmas shopping.”  
“Sounds lovely. Do these places let you taste the chocolates before you buy them?”  
“They do.”  
“And you’ll be wanting a second opinion on what to get, right?”  
“Are you sure you’ve got room, after stealing some of my bacon this morning?”  
“I’ve always got room for a few chocolates, John.”  
He smiled. “How about your Christmas list? Are you finished?”  
“I am. Just bought some smellies for Mandy and Steve. Once they’re wrapped I’ll be done and dusted.”  
“Very good. Although there is something else that you might consider. Come with me.”

He led her back to the escalator, and they were soon standing in front of the largest department store in the complex.  
Kayleigh frowned. “Why are we back here? Did you forget something yesterday?”  
“You’ll see.”  
They went through to the menswear section, John leading the way past the racks of shirts and trousers until they got to...  
“Robes?”  
“Yep. And right over there are ones like mine.” He casually nodded towards the racks. “Well, go on, then. Find yourself one.”  
It didn’t take her long before she was modelling a blue version of John’s robe. “So what do you think, John?”  
“It’s fine.”  
“Do I look good in it?”  
“Of course you do. But you’ll want one that’s smaller than that, though. Definitely shorter anyway.”  
“Why? Yours kept the bottom of my legs warm.”  
“Some thick bed socks would be better for that, Little Miss Frozen-Legs. No, you don’t want the bottom of the robe to be flapping around your feet.”  
“Why not?”  
“Because the stairs in your house look steeper than mine, and I’m worried that a robe that long could trip you up.”  
“Awww... you’re worried for me?” Kayleigh smiled, then stepped forward and kissed his cheek.  
“Um, we’re in a-” was all John managed to say before she gently gripped his lips between her thumb and first finger. “Not important,” she whispered, before stealing a second.  
Kayleigh’s smile was even broader after John produced his store loyalty card to reduce the price even further.  
“Just out of interest, John - how many other loyalty cards do you have? Because there’s a couple of shoe shops not that far from here.”  
“Cheeky...”

To Kayleigh’s surprise, John’s collection of loyalty cards didn’t extend past that department store, a tyre-repair business, two music stores and a competing supermarket chain. 

“You actually have a card with that other lot?”  
“Yeah.”  
“Is it current?”  
“Sure. I use it quite a bit.”  
“Why?”  
“Because... actually, it started as an experiment, where I wondered what their system would make of my shopping habits, the same way ours does. But now I keep it because they sell some products that I prefer over what we sell. Soaps and deodorants, mainly, because the brands we sell all make me itchy. I just can’t use them.”  
“Oh. Okay.”  
“Plus, there are times when their special deals make ours look like rubbish.”  
John shrugged at her expression. “I’m just saying...  
Anyway. According to the latest findings,” he waggled his phone, “the outfit with the best chocolate deals is actually a few streets away, but it’s under cover all the way. What I’m thinking is that we go and collect my two waiting packages, dump everything in the car and go visit “Chocolate Sandwich.” And then it might be a good idea to go for a quiet walk, to do some of that browsing you’re so fond of. Because if I don’t start working off what I’ve been eating, I’ll be needing bigger trousers.”

********************

It was while they were eating lunch that John realised. He’d had to keep track of the time so he wouldn’t miss his catch-up call with the store, but each time he checked his watch it reminded him that the weekend - their weekend - was coming to an end.  
What he hadn’t realised was that he was staring.  
“Have I got something in my teeth?”  
“Hmmm?”  
“Have I got something in my teeth, John? Or on my chin?”  
“No. Nothing.”  
“Then what are you looking at?”  
He tried to sound casual. “The most beautiful woman in here...”  
Her smile was the most dazzling he’d seen.

“What’s next, John? Because I’m about shopped-out. And it feels like it’s going to get colder.”  
A deep breath. “I don’t want today to end,” he blurted out. “I don’t want it to end. Not just yet.”  
“I don’t want that either.” Her voice softened. “But you realise I can’t stay over again, don’t you? I have to go home at some point today.”  
“Yeah, I know. But will you stay for dinner, though? Something simple, not too heavy. Please say-”  
“Yes.” She picked up her phone. “I’ll just text Mandy.”  
“Okay. Great.” He checked his watch. “And while you’re doing that, I’ll call Brenda at the store.”

He was back within minutes.  
“Well?”  
“Good news,” he replied. “The freezer-fix took no time at all and is well on it’s way to being back at temperature. Which is a relief. And... that’s enough about work.” He pointed to her phone. “Well?”  
“They were okay with it. Well, the kids weren’t at first, but the pictures of the chocolates I’m bringing cheered them up. But it does mean I can’t be getting home too late, otherwise I won’t be able to sit with them very long while they tell me about their weekend.”  
John swallowed his disappointment along with his last piece of shortbread. “Fair enough. Would you want to be home by seven-thirty, then?”  
“Yeah, that’d be perfect. Gives me an hour with everyone before the kids go to bed.”  
John nodded. “Okay. Well, in that case... we’ve got four hours. So let’s head off, grab something for dinner, watch Sky and then eat. Yeah?”  
“Yeah.”

********************

Thirty minutes later they were rushing inside John’s house as the heavens opened. They dropped the groceries on the kitchen bench, wrapped the presents they’d bought and then sat on the sofa with freshly-made mugs of tea in front of them.  
“All right, then,” said John. “Sitting down to watch TV on a rainy Sunday afternoon. I haven’t done this in ages.”  
“It should be good. But I’m making a rule.”  
“Which is?”  
“It has to be something exciting or funny. It can’t be something that’ll send me to sleep.”  
“I’ve told you - it won’t bother me if you do.”  
“But it’ll bother me, John. We’ve not got much time left today, and I don’t want to sleep through any more of it.”  
“All right, then. Well, you’ve got the remote so pick anything you want. I’ll go grab a few snacks. Crisps or chocolate, do you think?”  
“Both, John.”  
“Steady on - don’t want to spoil your appetite. Our dinner should be a belter.”  
“Oh, I’ll be right. Will there be enough for leftovers, do you think?”  
“There’ll be some. You might as well take them. I’ve got a meeting right through lunchtime tomorrow and we’re getting sandwiches in.”  
“Oh. Well, that’s good luck for me, then...”

********************

Once the film ended John got to work preparing their dinner - “it won’t take me long” - while Kayleigh set the table then headed upstairs to pack her bag before stripping the sheets from the guest bed and closing all the curtains. When she returned John was sitting at the table, writing in his notepad.  
“Really, John? You’re working again?”  
“It’s just a couple of reminders for me for the early meeting tomorrow. Have to mention that freezer that had to be fixed - and will hopefully still be working, and that we’re back to 24-hour operations from tomorrow. Those kinds of things.”  
Kayleigh nodded politely.  
John took her hand. “And that all the hard work by the Christmas team will be on show from tomorrow evening, and that it’s probably the best work ever done for Christmas at the store.  
You should be proud of what you’ve done. What you’ve all done.  
I am.”  
“Even though it isn’t actually your Christmas team any more?”  
He nodded. “The most important thing is that the team did a great job, regardless of who was running it. And it has.”

“John, can I ask you about something you said this morning?”  
“Sure.”  
“It was first-thing when you were talking about your exit plan. Escape plan? Something like that. Anyway, you’d worked out everything you need to do before you go.”  
“Right...”  
“But you didn’t seem very happy about it.”  
“Ah. Yes. I’ve been twenty-odd years in the place... I guess I’d hoped that I would have made more of an impact. That it would take a lot of effort... that there’d be a lot of things to get done before I could move on, but there just aren’t. It’s little more than just doing my job for another few weeks. Not much more than that.”  
“But you’re going to be working on setting up new stores for the company. That’s a big deal.”  
“Oh, I know. It’s just - I’ve been there all this time, and I was basically left with no option other than having to go somewhere else. And take a few steps backwards in the process. Starting again. Made me wonder why I didn’t see it coming ages ago.”

Kayleigh didn’t reply, simply stepped closer to John and kissed his cheek.  
“Thank you.”  
“Hmm...”  
“Hungry yet?”  
“God, yes.”  
“Come on, then.”

********************

“Such a good choice, getting pasta for dinner. That cheese was really tasty as well.”  
John’s mouth was full so he just nodded.  
“And I like what you did with the sauce.”  
He swallowed before putting his fork on the now-empty plate. “That’s the thing about pasta - doesn’t usually take much to pep it up a touch. I just added some herbs to the tomatoes.”  
“They tasted great. What type of herbs?”  
“A secret blend of mixed herbs...” he said, trying to sound mysterious.  
“Yeah, you’re funny...”  
“No, seriously - that’s what’s written on the little jar.”  
“Well, it tasted great, anyway. What do you usually have for dinner, John? When you’re just cooking for yourself, I mean.”  
“I used to make more of an effort, making enough for dinner and a leftovers-lunch. But with everything that’s been going on this past while I’ve not bothered too much, usually just having whatever I could find in the cupboards. And sandwiches for lunch.  
I guess you’re been eating all right, though, being in a house with kids and making sure they’re eating properly?”  
“Oh sure. We try to have a few treats along the way but it’s usually a bit plain. Been able to use some of Keiron’s tips and tricks to pep things up a bit.”  
“Oh really? What do you think he’d make of me using store-bought mixed herbs, then?”  
“He’d be fine with it. Might have some ideas about what you could get and mix together for yourself.”  
“Well, I’d be interested in hearing about that. Do you think you could ask him for some suggestions?”  
“John...”  
“Are you sure you don’t want any dessert? Those little puddings won’t take much to heat, you know.”  
She took his hand. “John.”  
“Yes?”  
She turned his hand over and tapped his watch. “No more stalling. We need to get going.”  
John sighed. “I know...”

********************

The drive to Bury was a quiet one. The rain was keeping every driver honest so Kayleigh kept the conversation to a minimum to allow John to concentrate on the road. But once they were within minutes of the small Bury house, Kayleigh took the chance to bring up a subject she’d been thinking about for weeks.  
“There’s something you’ve never told me, John.”  
“What’s that?”  
“Whether you would have put me in your Christmas team or not.”  
He didn’t hesitate. “Yes. Obviously. Because the team needs a Christmas expert, right? And because you said you wanted to...” His voice trailed off and a mix of expressions crossed his face, finishing with a smile.  
“What? Why are you smiling?”  
“Because I’ve just had a great idea.”  
“Okay. You gonna share?”  
“Not just yet. I will if it works out. Probably tomorrow.”  
She looked at him, intrigued.

They drove on in comfortable silence before coming to a stop in front of the house.  
He switched off the engine and turned to her. “So, Kayleigh. It’s now Sunday evening, and you’ve spent most of the weekend with me. You’ve been wonderful company, and you’ve made me look good in public, frankly. How are you feeling about it?”  
“It’s been a long time coming, John, what with everything that’s been going on these last couple of months. But I’ve really enjoyed it. I’m so pleased about getting all my Christmas shopping done, and it was a great idea of yours to split it over two days rather than trying to do it in one go like I usually so. But the best part was that we didn’t hide ourselves away so much like we’ve tended to do.  
Although it was a shame that some of your work-responsibilities did get in the way a bit.”  
“Like going into the store today, you mean?”  
“Ah, no - not so much.”  
“Hmm?”  
“Well, if you hadn’t needed to be up and awake for the early work-call this morning, we wouldn’t have been so bothered about letting you get to sleep last night.”  
“True...”  
“And we could both have had a sleep-in this morning.”  
“Yep...”  
“And then a maybe a proper lie-in as well.”  
“That would have been nice...”  
“And then...” - she squeezed his hand - “who knows what else?”  
“What? Talking, you mean?”  
She looked directly into his eyes. “No, John. Not just talking.”

John looked confused. “But, what else could there be? I mean - it is your “lady time”, after all.”  
It was Kayleigh’s turn to look confused. “It’s not my “lady time”. I’m not... Not just yet, anyway. What gave you that idea?”  
“Oh. Well... I mean, there was the business about you having spare underwear on Friday. And you were buying your... things... at the chemist this afternoon, plus the few times I’ve seen you holding and rubbing your stomach these last two days. What else was I going to think?”

“But you asked me to stay last night.”  
“Yes. Because I wanted to spend as much time as I could with you this weekend. Not because I was wanting,” - he resisted the urge to point - “to get you into bed.”  
She looked at him coyly. “I was in your bed...”  
“You were. And you snored for a bit, and stuck your cold feet against my legs this morning. Which is a hell of a way to start the day.”  
“My feet aren’t that cold...”  
“Trust me - they were this morning. But, what about the other things? The spare underwear? And your stomach?”  
“I had spare underwear because I wanted to stay overnight on Friday. And I was getting “things” as you call them because my “lady time” isn’t actually that far away, now. Probably tomorrow, the way I’m feeling. And I’ve eaten too much. Got to start my wedding diet all over again, now.”  
Her last sentence had been little more than buzzing in John’s ears. “Wait. You wanted to stay overnight on Friday?”  
“Yes. All day I’d been trying to work out how I was going to get you to agree to let me stay over, and in the end it was all that rain and you being so tired that did it.”  
“But, what if it hadn’t been raining?”  
“Don’t know. Don’t need to think about it now, do I?”

John was quiet for a moment as he thought about what Kayleigh had said.

She spoke again. “There’s something I need you to know.”  
“What’s that?”  
“I want to stay over with you again. A lot more.”  
“I want that to.”  
“But I never want to sleep in your guest bed again. And I never want to be in your bed as your “guest”. You know what I’m saying, don’t you?”  
“I do.”

The moment was broken by a familiar text-alert.  
John sighed. “Your Mandy’s timing...”  
Kayleigh looked at her phone and smiled. “She’s asking if I’m ever coming in tonight. I’d invite you in, but you’ve still got things to sort, right?”  
John checked the clock on the dash then shook his head. “Yeah. Best I was off.”  
“Okay.” She reached into the back seat for her bright yellow umbrella and her leftovers-lunch. “I assume you don’t want to be rained on?”  
John made a face at the view through the windscreen. “Not particularly.”  
“All right. Come here...”

They hugged as best they could in the cramped cabin. Twice John started to loosen his hold, and both times Kayleigh tightened hers. “Not yet.”  
And when Kayleigh finally let him go, it was with a smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” She patted his leg and winked. “And I’ll see much more of you in five to seven days or so. Yes?”  
As Kayleigh reached for the door handle John put his hand on her arm. “Wait.”  
“Hmmm?”  
“Would you like to stay over one night this week?”  
“Sure. Friday or Saturday, right?”  
“No. Mid-week.”  
“But...”  
“What?”  
“I’ll be... you know.”  
“So? I asked you to stay last night thinking you already were. On Tuesday or Wednesday we could have dinner and see a movie and not care too much about when it finishes. And I can drop you back here on my way to work the next morning. Although you probably won’t thank me when I’m dragging you to the car at five o’clock. But you could nap on the way here.”  
She didn’t look convinced.  
“It’s either that or you having to be properly up and dressed by five-thirty, then having to kill three hours in the store before you can start work. Basically.”  
“Hmmm...”  
“Think about it, anyway. Goodnight, beautiful.”

********************

Any worries Kayleigh had about her extended absence causing awkwardness were quickly dispelled when she walked through the front door, having to quickly drop her overnight bag so she could catch a Misty-shaped missile. The others stayed a short distance away, knowing Misty would need a minute or more to calm down.  
And when she did, Kayleigh stood with her arms out expecting a hug - but there were no takers. “Oh...”  
“Auntie Kayleigh?”  
“Yes, Alfie?”  
He grinned as he glanced at Chloe, who could barely suppress her own smile.  
“You should go upstairs and put your bag in your room.”  
“Really? You think I should? Oh, but what about...”  
Her voice trailed off when she caught a glimpse of Mandy, who was nodding and pointing discretely at the door.  
“Well, Alfie - I think that’s a great idea. I’ll do that now and be right back. Will you keep Misty company for a minute?”

Ten seconds later, they all heard Kayleigh say “Hey, my light’s on.”  
Then a squeal of excitement. “Oh! My new curtains are up!”

Kayleigh came back through the door, threw a brown paper bag to Steve and stood with her arms outstretched. “Who am I thanking for my curtains?”  
Mandy was smiling. “Your niece and nephew had a busy afternoon.”  
“Come here you two!”  
She proceeded to repeatedly hug both of them in turn while Mandy and Steve hid the inner-bag containing foil-wrapped chocolates, then picked through the remainder to choose chocolates for themselves.  
“Hey,” said Chloe after escaping from Kayleigh’s clutches, “do we get some?”  
“Yes, you do,” replied Kayleigh. “There’s enough for five each and they’re all yummy!”

The next hour was spent with chocolates and hot drinks, sharing their weekend-stories before the extended family settled in front of the TV. At eight-thirty Kayleigh gave Alfie and Chloe a final hug before Mandy shooed them off to bed, and once Misty had settled down for the night the adults retired to the kitchen where Mandy made coffees. Steve opened the paper bag and tipped the foil-wrapped chocolates onto the table. “What do we have here, then?”  
“We have a mix of brandy, whisky, rum, Irish creme and “coffee with a kick”, they called it. Go for it. They’re all good but the whiskey ones are fantastic.”  
Mandy clapped her hands together. “Excellent. I’m having all of those.”

They worked through the chocolates while talking more about their respective weekends before congratulating each other on having finished all the Christmas shopping. Mandy and Steve listened as Kayleigh talked more about her time with John, glancing at each other occasionally as she described his actions on the Friday evening.  
Mandy was blunt. “Seriously? He did that for staff who basically don’t respect him?”  
Kayleigh shrugged. “He did it more for the team running the “Do” than for anyone else.”  
“As long as he doesn’t forget that, because handing out meals to staff who have to work late anyway won’t change many opinions for very long.”  
“I’m sure he knows that. Besides, it’s not for much longer anyway.”  
“What do you mean?”  
“I’m not supposed to tell anyone this, but... he got a job working full-time on the project.”  
“That super-long project of his?”  
“That’s it. He’s going to be working over in the Area office permanently, starting the middle of next month. He’ll be working the same hours as me. We can drive in and out together, have nights out, see each other on weekends, all of it.”  
“But on a project like that he’s bound to do some long days.”  
“Oh, sure - but it won’t be like now, when he has to have a work phone on him all the time. I mean, he had two calls with work today and had to go into the store for a while after breakfast. And he’ll be getting an update-text sometime after ten o’clock.”  
She smiled.  
“But all of that is going to stop next month.”

Mandy took a moment to consider her next words.  
“Can we assume that we won’t be seeing much of you most weekends from now on?”  
Kayleigh thought for a moment then shook her head. “Not just yet. The next few weeks will be mental at work. I’m actually not sure how much time he’ll get to himself before he leaves next month.”  
Steve piped up. “Plus he’s just got just the two days off, right?”  
“Yeah, he does. How did you know?”  
“We don’t just talk about motorbikes, you know.”

After Steve left to double-check the doors and windows, Mandy leaned close to Kayleigh.  
“Um... are you actually his girlfriend yet?”  
She huffed. “No.”  
“But you had the whole weekend...”  
Kayleigh lowered her voice. “Well, I’m getting my frigging thing, aren’t I?”  
“Oh. Sorry.”

Kayleigh made her excuses just before nine-thirty - “busy day tomorrow - finishing a few things with the Christmas team” - and went up to her room, taking a moment to admire her new curtains before going through to the bathroom.  
That done, she happily hung her new robe on the door, grudgingly laid out her work-clothes for the morning and got into bed. She then pulled the covers over her head in a way she hadn’t done for nearly fifteen years, swiped the face of her phone and tapped the first contact on her Favourites list.  
It was picked up immediately.

“Hi John.  
I miss you already. Can I stay over tomorrow night?  
TV with takeaways, or out to eat and a movie - either’s fine.  
I can’t wait...”

It wasn’t until she finished the call that she saw the message-received light was glowing.

“To WHAMMER76  
We miss you, WHAMMER76, and want to offer you a special deal. Please follow the link to receive your free two-month membership extension as our gift to you, WHAMMER76.  
From your friends at Heartsearchers.com”

By ten-forty the house had been quiet for over an hour. Sensing that they had waited long enough, Mandy gave Steve a nudge and he quietly walked out of the bedroom. He wasn’t gone long.  
“Well? Is she in her room?”  
“Yep. Snoring and everything.”


	9. Monday morning, eight o’clock

John was about the read the report by the freezer technician when his deskphone rang. The display read “P HANSEN”.  
“Good morning, John Redmond speaking.”  
“Hey, you.”  
“Oh. Hi Cath. Um, what’s going on? Where’s Peter?”  
“It’s baby day! It all kicked off at about three this morning. Peter rang from the hospital about an hour ago.”  
“Oh, that’s brilliant. How’d he seem to you?”  
“Excited. And terrified. It’s hours yet, but her sisters are taking it in turn to keep him calm and tell him what to do. But you know Peter - once he finds his feet...”  
“Very true. So, does this mean that you’re taking over the last of his work now?”  
“I am, for about six weeks at this stage. I’ve been making calls and sorting shit out since he rang. Which is the other reason I’m calling you. Alan Campbell will be calling Divot just after one o’clock to tell him that you’re leaving in January. Do you want to listen in when he’s called?”  
“Hell, yes.”  
“All right. Be in this office at twelve so we can start the paperwork, then I’ll take you through to Alan’s office when he makes the call. And bring biscuits.”  
“For us to have during the call, you mean?”  
“No. They’re just for me.”

John glanced at his diary. “Oh, hang on - I can’t make twelve. I’ll be in a meeting here right through to twelve-thirty.”  
“No you won’t. You’ll be here at twelve. Either leave early or skip the meeting.”  
“But what about-”  
“John. You’re not listening. You have to be here at twelve so we can start on the paperwork to get you out of there for good. Got that? And if you don’t bring me chocolate biscuits you’ll get a slap.”  
“Jesus,” he muttered, “talk about power going to people’s heads...”  
“Oy, you. I heard that.”  
“No, you didn’t. Hey, I have a question.”  
“Go on.”  
“Why is it that HR knew about my appointment two days before I did?”  
“We need lead-in time so we can make it happen, that’s why.”  
“Then how is it that once I did know, I wasn’t allowed to tell anyone?”  
“It’s protocol, all right? The fact that you’ve got that job is almost less important than making sure that the right people are told about it.”  
John thought about this.  
“John. Just forget about all that. Just... at about one o’clock your boss will be told that you’re joining Area office permanently in January and there’s absolutely nothing he can do to stop it. And then you’ll be signing the forms to make it actually happen. Just focus on that.”  
“Okay. Okay.”

“There’s one last thing. Two last things. Don’t forget that you can’t tell anyone in the store until after Dave is told, and even then it’s just for the ears of the Senior staff. But much, much more important is what I’ve just sent to your phone. I think we should buy these and have them waiting when Peter and Lisa get home with bubs. Agreed?”  
“Hang on...” John tapped the link showing on his phone and immediately smiled. “Yes. Agreed.”  
“Great. Right, my dear, I have more calls to make. See you here at twelve. Don’t be late, and don’t forget my biscuits.”  
John chuckled. “You got it. See ya...”

********************

John made a point of arriving early for the eight-thirty meeting, having collected Helen and SimonB on the way. Their discussion of the agenda was brief, and ended with John saying “I’ll take the last item.”  
When the rest of the senior staff arrived, they saw that Helen was seated at the head of the table, with Simon and John seated in line to her left. John had two cellphones in front of him and was checking both of them.  
“Good morning everyone,” said Helen. “We have a lot to get through, so let’s get started.”  
“Before you do,” piped up Craig, “I’ve been asked to pass on how much our guys enjoyed the “Do” on Friday. Everyone had a great time.”  
There were murmurs of agreement in the room, with the notable exception of Shirley who was sitting grim-faced.  
Helen and Simon exchanged glances. “Well, thank you. We’ll pass that on to the team. But right now, we need to get on.”  
She held the groups attention as she covered the freezer-repair, getting verbal acknowledgement from Shirley that it was operational and had been restocked that morning.  
“That’s very good news,” responded Helen. “The next item is a reminder that we’re back at 24-7 operations from today, and that’s right through to mid- or late-January depending on customer numbers. Although that obviously excludes the shorter opening hours for the days around Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.  
More good news, now... Alison Thompson went home from hospital during the weekend, which is a little earlier than expected.”  
She glanced at her notepad. “And the final operational note is that the Christmas decorations and displays will be going up this evening, starting at five o’clock. It’s the same outfit that did it for the store last year, and they expect to be finished around seven. Their only note was that everyone, including the staff, needs to give them room to work, so there will be short periods of disruption as they do the setup - shifting ladders and the like - but that’s obviously preferable to someone being injured.”  
She let the group consider that for a moment before turning to John, who nodded before quickly scanning the faces in the room.  
“In case you’ve not heard, or not seen the noticeboards,” he began, “Trevor Simms passed away on Friday.”  
There were a few gasps before the room fell silent.  
“I’m told that he... that it was peaceful.”  
Colin spoke up. “I realise it’s just happened, but, is there any talk of a funeral, or service?”  
John shook his head. “My understanding is there won’t be, as per Trevor’s wishes. “No funeral, no fuss,” is how it was described to me. Seems he was quite insistent about that.”  
“It would be nice if the store did something, though.”  
“The store has done something,” John replied. “The same way the store did something for the family of Ted Lawal earlier this year. We’ll update the details on the noticeboards when we know more.”  
More silence, during which John looked at Helen and nodded.  
“All right, then,” she said. “Have a good day, everyone.”

The group filed out in silence, leaving John with Simon and Helen. John waited for the door to close and the sound of footsteps to fade away before speaking.  
“While I remember - I can’t be at the stocktake-review this morning as I have to be in Area office for a couple of hours across lunchtime. And I’d like to ask a favour.”  
“Sure. What is it?”  
He didn’t speak for long, and when he’d finished both Helen and Simon looked surprised. “Really?”  
“Yes. Please.”

********************

At nine-forty John and Helen made their way to the Deli where they saw that Elsie was busy with a customer. John shared a brief nod with the supervisor before he and Helen moved a discrete distance away.   
After Elsie sent the customer on their way with a smile, the supervisor had a quiet word in her ear then took her place at the counter while Elsie walked the few paces to where the two managers were waiting.  
“Good morning Elsie.”  
“Good morning Miss Mitchell, Mr Redmond.”  
“I was wondering if you could help us out,” said Helen. “Today is the day when all the Christmas displays and decorations are going up, and we thought we had everything organised... but it turns out we’d forgotten something quite important.”  
“Oh?”  
“And when I mentioned it to Mr Redmond,” Helen continued, “he immediately suggested that you might know what to do.”  
“Um, really?”  
Helen failed to keep a straight face. “It turns out, Elsie, that we’re short of a Mrs Santa Claus...”  
The confusion on Elsie’s face was quickly replaced by a growing smile as she looked at John. “You remembered?”  
“What do you say, Elsie?” prompted Helen.  
John spoke up. “I’ve already cleared it with your super - it’s yours to do if you want to. I’m afraid it’s not a full-time gig, just an hour or so each day - to start with,anyway - but it’ll be part of your normal working hours so you won’t miss out on lunch or your breaks.”  
Helen tried again. “Well? Can you help us?”  
Elsie was beaming. “Oh, yes. Please. Any way I can.”  
“Very good, then,” said John. “I’ll leave you to talk.” He gave a thumbs-up to the supervisor before turning and walking away.

Kayleigh had looked up just as John and Helen walked past, and while she hadn’t been able to hear the conversation at the Deli, she had clearly seen Elsie's smile growing by the second.  
As John neared she held up her hand and pointed discretely at the Deli. “What was that business with Elsie just now?”  
“She’ll tell you on your break,” John replied before trying to move on.  
Kayleigh took a half-step to her left, bringing John to a halt. “No, no. Come on. What was that?”  
John smiled then spoke quietly. “Let’s just say that Elsie might want to hug someone shortly. It’s all good.”  
He moved past, leaving Kayleigh looking at the Deli where Elsie’s smile was the dominant feature on her face.

Their tea break couldn’t come soon enough.

********************

At eleven-fifty John was in Area office, walking towards the office Cath Hilton shared with Peter Hansen. He’d spent the previous twenty minutes with the “Small Stores” team, catching up with their progress after having been too busy to participate for most of the previous week. He rounded the last corner and walked through the open door.  
Cath spun her chair around and smiled. “Hey, you.”  
John held up his phone. “What do you mean by “change of plan”? What changed?”  
“Alan Campbell changed his mind about having you sit in on that call. He’s now thinking that Divot might have an opinion or two about you leaving and decided it was best that you weren’t in the room. But make no mistake,” she said, noting his expression, “at one o’clock, Alan will tell Dave that your time in the store will end in mid-January, and there is nothing he can do about it. And once that’s done, my mate Gemma will finish the paperwork to make the transfer official.”

“Does that mean I didn’t really need to come over here?”  
“You did, for two reasons. Firstly, to bring me my biscuits,” - at which point John put a paper bag in Cath’s outstretched hand - “but also to get the paperwork started.”  
“Well, how hard can that be?”  
Cath started counting on her fingers. “You’re an Assistant Manager who’s acting as Store Manager while also doing work for a project based in an Area-level building, meaning you currently have multiple sets of building-access and system-access privileges. And in an hour or so you’ll be officially confirmed as having been transferred to a “Joe ordinary” position in Area office - which no one has ever done before - but it won’t actually take effect for another month. We have to nail down all the things you currently have access to and make sure they don’t suddenly disappear.”  
“Okay... how long’s that gonna take?”  
“About twenty minutes. But there’s something else that has to be sorted first.”  
“Which is?”  
“I’m starving. Let’s go get some lunch.”

********************

They were joined in the office just before one o’clock by Gemma, who immediately reviewed the information Cath had retrieved about John’s security and access privileges. Satisfied that everything had been covered, she set to work preparing the forms that would formalise John’s transfer out of the store. It didn’t take long.  
“And now we just wait for Dave to be told. Which should be happening shortly, right Cath?”  
“Should be.”

John had a thought. “Why could we not have done all of this before Alan called Dave?”  
“Protocol,” said Gemma. “This way Alan can say “John is transferring to Area office at the same time you get back next month, it’s been approved and will be made official later this afternoon.” To give Dave a sense that he’s observing the process.”  
“Right...”  
“Whereas, if this had been done first, the tone would be “By the way - we’ve already confirmed that John will be working permanently in Area office next month.” Which would put Dave in the position of someone who was told as an afterthought.”  
“Ah,” said John. “For the sake of appearances, in other words.”  
“Exactly.”

The sound of Cath’s cellphone got their attention.  
“It’s Campbell,” she said, frowning. “That was quick...  
Cath Hilton.  
Yes, Alan?  
Right.  
Right...”

There was a long pause, during which Cath’s frown was slowly replaced by a smile.  
“I see. Well, thanks for calling, Alan. Bye.”  
She looked at Gemma. “Dave’s been told so you’re good to go. Do it, Gem.”   
Gemma put her hand on the folder in front of her, then hesitated. “John, we’ll be covering the differences between your current and new positions, including the base salary and allowances. Are you happy for Cath to be in the room for this?”  
He didn’t hesitate. “Fine by me.”  
“Okay, then.” She opened the folder and turned it around so John could read it. “Here’s the rundown of your new position...”

John sat quietly as Gemma explained the process required to complete his transfer, confirming the title and salary expectations plus defining his actual employment status for the following month. He didn’t have many questions.  
When she was finished, Gemma closed the folder and moved it closer to John. “That’s that,” she said. “Do you have any more questions about what I’ve told you or what’s in the folder?”  
“No,” said John. “I’m ready to sign.”  
“Hang on a sec.” Cath reached into her pocket and pulled out a silver pen. “You’ll need this.”  
Confused, John turned it over in his hand, pausing when he spotted the initials “JR” on it. “Hang on - this is mine.”  
“Yes. That’s the one you let me use to sign Debbie Forster’s “End of Employment” form a few weeks back. Seems fitting that you use it to get out of that place yourself.”  
“Okay,” said Gemma. “Sign your name on each copy of both forms at the points marked “X”, please.”  
John signed the forms and slid them back across the table. Gemma signed her name on the forms, handed a copy of each to John and extended her hand. “Welcome to Area office, John.”  
John’s smile matched hers. “Thank you.”  
They had barely ended their handshake before Cath threw her arms around John and kissed his cheek. “I’m so happy for you...”

Gemma was no stranger to their displays of affection, waiting patiently until Cath relaxed her grip on him. “Can I ask you something, John?”  
“Sure.”  
“Why?”  
“Hmm?”  
“Why would you go from second-in-charge at the store to... hardly-anyone in this place? It just seems like a huge step backwards to me.”  
Cath was open-mouthed. “Gemma!”  
John held up his hand. “No, no - it’s all right.” He turned back to Gemma. “It’s actually quite simple. There’s nowhere for me to go while I’m in the store. In any store. It’s just not going to happen. This,” - he pointed at the forms he’d just signed - “this is my only option. And while it might not look that great, my new boss actually wants me to be here working with her team. Unlike my current boss, who has wanted me gone for years.”

As Gemma considered his words, a thought occurred to John.  
“There was something I forgot to ask before. Given that I haven’t had a holiday for months, and I’m not likely to get the chance for a holiday for months, can I get some of my holiday pay cashed up now?”  
“We can give you a week’s worth, but that’s all,” replied Gemma.  
She held up her hand as John opened his mouth to speak. “I know what you’re going to say, but the payouts you’re thinking of only happened because their specific contracts made it possible. Yours doesn’t. The most you can get paid out per year is one week. That’s all.”  
John didn’t hide his disappointment.  
“The best I can do is make sure it gets paid out next pay, so you’ll get it just before Christmas. And the way I do that starts with you logging into Peter’s computer and sending me an email saying you’re requesting the payout. I’ll send an appropriate instruction to HR in your store with a note saying it must be in the next pay. By the time you get back there today it should be under way. If it isn’t, give me a call and I’ll give them a nudge.”  
John nodded. “Thank you.”

After Gemma left, John sent the email as instructed then made a call to the Assistant Manager’s phone. Helen picked it up.  
“Hi Helen, it’s John. I need you to do something for me.” He checked his watch. “Can you call a brief Seniors' meeting in the small meeting room at two-fifteen please. The same crowd that were at the eight-thirty, if you would. But I want to see you and the Simons in your office at two o’clock.  
No, there’s nothing wrong. But something’s come up and I need to talk to you all about it.  
Very good. I’ll see you shortly.”  
He was quiet after ending the call.  
“Are you all right?” asked Cath.  
“Yeah, yeah. I thought this would be a bigger deal than it is.”  
Cath nodded. “I felt the same before I moved over here. It will be a big deal when you’re actually packing up and moving across. Right now, it’s something you’re not able to do just yet. Just another thing that you’re having to wait around for.”

Cath double-checked that the door was closed before speaking again. “There’s something Alan mentioned that you should know. It seems Dave thought he should have been able to veto your transfer, on the basis that he’s the actual Store Manager. Alan pointed out that the “Small Stores” project now has official support so his veto right doesn’t apply. Apparently Dave wasn’t happy.”  
“When is he ever?” muttered John.  
“I think you can expect a bit of attitude from him, even though he won’t be physically in the store for another month. Plus he wants to see details of every decision you’ve made while he’s been away, as well as everything you do until he gets back.”  
“That’s no bother - I’ve been emailing him copies of everything I’ve done since day one. That lot should keep him occupied for a while, but I’m happy to keep sending him more stuff if it’ll keep him quiet.” He sighed. “Knobhead.”

Cath smiled. “I assume you’ve done your exit plan?”  
“Yeah.”  
“You’ll feel better about all of this once you start crossing off the items on that list. Trust me.”  
She gave him another hug. “But if you’re going to meet them at two you’d best make a move. Go on.”

********************

Helen and the Simons were waiting in their office when John walked in. He didn’t waste any time.

“Hi guys. Thanks for... I’ll just get started, yeah? You remember that the initial plan was for me to return to the project once DaveThompson came back, right? Well, I’m not being released back to the project. I’ve got a permanent job in Area office that starts in the second week of January. As soon as Dave gets back, I’ll hand the store back to him and leave for good.”

He pressed on before they could react. 

“There’s two reasons why I’m telling you this. Firstly, Dave was told this at about one o’clock, and it’s company practice for the rest of the senior staff to be told as soon as practical after that, hence the meeting at two-fifteen. The second reason concerns you three specifically. You’ll have to decide for yourselves if you want to apply for my job on a permanent basis, because the official store structure only shows one Assistant Manager. This idea of having the three of you doing my job was only going to cover the short period while I was expected to be gone.  
I’ll tell you now what I’ve already told some people in Area: I’m not going to recommend one of you over the others, as I think you’re equally capable of doing this job. What I intend to do is give each of you equal opportunities until I go, so there’ll be no question of favouritism or you not pulling your weight or not deserving your allowances. But you may have to compete with each other and some others next month if you want to be the permanent Assistant Manager in this store.  
That being said, I stand by what I wrote in the references I’ve already given you, and I’ll keep updating them over the next month as you continue in your roles. Plus, if you want more advice about your CVs, or want another invite to the next Chamber of Commerce meeting I will do that as well.”

The three Assistant Managers sat quietly, alternately glancing at each other and at John before Helen finally spoke up.  
“Yeah... it’s not that straightforward.”  
John blinked. “How is any of that straightforward?”  
Helen spoke again. “We’ve been talking among ourselves a fair bit over the last few weeks, and, well - none of us are wanting to keep doing this job for much longer anyway.”  
“What?”  
“You know I wasn’t planning to stay, not with Billy transferring to Kent in March,” said Helen.  
“I know.”  
“But even if I wasn’t moving to Kent,” she continued, “I would not want to be Assistant Manager under Dave. I don’t want that.”  
“And neither do we,” chimed in SimonG.

John took a moment. “I don’t understand.”  
“Yes you do. And while he did cut us some slack,” - the three were nodding - “we’re under the impression that once he’s back and comfortable, he’ll go back to using the Assistant Manager as a bit of a dogsbody, frankly.”  
John was shaking his head. “You don’t know that for certain. And I’m not defending him. I’m just saying that the new rules mean he can’t go back to his old ways, not if he wants to keep his job. And he’s too young to retire, remember?”  
SimonB cleared his throat. “Even under the new rules there were hints of his old ways. We saw how he treated you, and while you said that was because you two don’t really get along, it looked to me like he’d just decided to act that way.”  
“So what does this actually mean, then? I get that you’re leaving, Helen, but not until February or March, right?”  
“Yep.”  
John turned to the Simons. “What about you two? Are you planning to leave as well?”  
“No, but I won’t be applying for Assistant.”  
“I’ll be staying, but I won’t be applying either.”

John’s mind was racing. “So, in theory, you’ll all be here for a time after Dave gets back, but none of you would be prepared to be Assistant?”  
“That's right.”  
He looked back to the Simons. “What if the store politely asked one of you to keep Acting for a while longer?”  
“I’d politely decline.”  
“Same here.”  
“Right. Right. Well... Obviously I won’t mention this to anyone, but...” John’s train of thought was interrupted by a short alarm from the computer on the main desk.  
Helen checked her watch. “It’s time to go to that meeting.”  
“Okay,” said John, thankful for the interruption. “I’ll be right behind you. And try to look surprised when I tell them in there, okay?”

********************

John counted to twenty before following the trio to the meeting room, creating enough of a gap so they would be seated by the time he arrived. There were two empty chairs near the door, but on impulse he decided to remain standing.

“Thank you all for being here at short notice. I’ll only keep you a couple of minutes. What I'm about to say is for your ears only.  
Alan Campbell spoke with Dave Thompson an hour ago to tell him what I'm about to tell you. I will be leaving the store in mid-January and taking on a permanent role in Area office. But I won't be going until Dave is back in his office.  
In practical terms - I will continue as Acting Manager until Dave returns, with the three Assistant Managers carrying out their duties until I leave. There will of course be an advertisement for a permanent Assistant Manager before then. Dave has been instructed to start working on that process, and my feeling is that will be addressed in the next two or three weeks.  
This will have no impact in terms of our normal daily operations over the next month. Everything that’s already in place to cover operations right through to the end of January will still apply. Examples of that include the work done by the Christmas team being put on display in a few hours from now, the store being back on 24-hour operations from tonight, plus all the shifts and rosters that are in place and final.”

Craig asked the question on more than a few minds. “Um, what does this mean in terms of the arrangements that have been made for the different sections? I'm talking about the new equipment, renovations and extra training that's been lined up.”

“It's quite simple,” said John. “Everything that has been reviewed and approved by Area office will proceed, as it’s either been paid for or has confirmed funding, so there'll be no delays with any of them. On top of that, any urgent work like repairs will go ahead as normal, along with any items proposed by Area or Head Office.”  
He paused. “As for everything else - that's now up to Dave to decide if they should proceed. A preliminary list has already been sent to Dave to look over, and any new items will be passed to him as they come up.”  
“What’s your feeling about whether they're likely to go ahead?”  
“It's no longer up to me. Everything not already approved is up for review. I will support any new requests as best I can, but... as of this afternoon, I don’t have much of a say in anything other than daily operations.”

The room was silent while the Seniors digested the news and the implications. John pre-empted any further questions.  
“That's it. That's all I have for you, except to remind you that this news is not to be passed on to the rest of the staff until Dave says so - and I don't know when that will be. Thank you everyone.”

Once the Seniors had left, John turned to the three Assistant Managers. “Good work looking all surprised there,” he said, trying to lighten his own mood.  
No reaction.  
“I'd like you three to stay in plain view for the next hour or so. Run a store check, check in with your own sections, anything. Just... have your notepads out, make it look like any other day.”

The silence that followed was quickly broken by a text alert from John’s phone.  
“Excuse me.” John swiped his phone, and a smile slowly crept across his face.  
“Good news?”  
“Very good news. My friends have just had their first baby,” - he checked his watch - “about twenty minutes ago. “Mum and daughter are well, daddy is coping,” it says.”

The trio watched his face relax, and when he next spoke it was with a softer voice.

“Like I’ve said to everyone - today’s the day. I assume you’re sticking around while the Christmas displays go up?”  
“Oh yes.”  
“All right. Well, I’ve been gifted some extra work and will be busy until I leave at about six. I’ll drop by when I leave but will otherwise stay out of the way. But send me an update text when it’s all up, yeah?”  
“Will do.”  
“Very good. Right. Let’s get back to it.”

********************

At six-fifteen Kayleigh let herself into “Little Blue” after putting two small bags of last-minute shopping into the boot. The expected rain hadn’t eventuated, but the cold front had moved in and she was grateful to be out of the wind.

Three minutes later the driver’s door opened and John got in. The benefit of parking so close to the staff-only entrance was that the beefed-up security lighting turned night into day in that area of the carpark, with the side-effect that there was no privacy so their greeting had to be limited to a smile and a friendly word or two.

“Hiya, stranger.”  
“Evening, Miss Kitson.” He looked at the back seat. “Did you not buy anything on your shopping expedition, then?”  
“A couple of things that I put in the boot. To keep them out of sight, you see.”  
“Gotcha.” The car was now moving. “How’d the restocking go tonight? Who were you paired with?”  
“Lena again. She’s fun. That was a quick half-hour.”  
“Very good. Did you see much of the displays as they started to go up?”  
“Not really. I wanted to finish and then head out before any rain turned up - but they’re gonna send pictures to everyone in the Christmas Team once it’s all done.”

They were just minutes away from the quiet cafe they’d made their “usual” over the previous few weeks. The lights were against them all the way but Kayleigh noted that John wasn’t grumbling about “these bloody red lights” like he usually did. She looked across. “What’s that little smile for, then?”  
“It’s done,” came the simple reply.  
“What’s done?”  
His growing smile spoke volumes.  
“Really?”  
“Really. As of one o’clock this afternoon when Alan Campbell called Dave Thompson and told him he’ll have to find a new Assistant Manager.”  
“So what does that mean for you now?”  
“It means that I’m now officially employed by Area Office, even though I’m still an Assistant Manager based in the store and acting for Dave until he gets back next month.”  
“But what if something happens? What if he can’t come back for some reason?”  
“Oh... let’s not think about that, eh? Not tonight.”

Their usual table in the far corner of the cafe wasn’t available so they chose another that was closer to the main counter but still far enough away from the other diners to give them some privacy. And while they had agreed they wouldn’t talk about work, that understanding didn’t last long.

“Elsie told me what you did during our tea break. That was so lovely of you.”  
John shrugged. “It wasn’t just me.”  
“You suggested it, though. And it wasn’t that long ago that you basically had no time for her.”  
“Hey, she’s grown on me, all right? It’s just - once she got the standing-stools she showed how good she can be at her job. No one has ever got “Outstanding Customer Service” two months in a row before. No one.”  
“I did say it would be different once you knew more about her as a person. But why have her be Mrs Santa Claus?”  
“She told me on the drive home after the costume party that she wanted to do it. Although, that was mainly so she could sit down all day, what with her knees giving her so much grief. Since then, she’s worked hard and done herself proud. Done the store proud. That’s why I asked Helen and Simon if they’d be okay with it.”  
“You asked them? You didn’t just tell them?”  
“No. It’s still their team to run, their project to complete - but it says a lot about them that they were happy to go along with it.”  
“Well - however it happened, Elsie’s absolutely rapt.”  
“So you got hugged, then?”  
“Did I ever...”

He’d been surprised when Kayleigh had shaken her head at his suggestion to go to a movie, but had been won over by her reasoning; that after such a big day for both of them, how it would be a shame to have to rush through dinner, then rush to sit silently in a movie theatre, then rush back to John’s so there’d be enough time to get everything ready for the next day, then go to bed and try to get enough sleep before starting “so stupidly early” the next morning.  
Which she’d managed to say with one breath.  
“No,” she’d continued, “a nice dinner and a relaxed evening with TV or YouTube, then an early bedtime so you get plenty of sleep. That’s the plan for tonight. Besides,” she’d said, “you won’t be working this weekend, will you?”  
“I’ll have the phone for the early and late-calls, but that’s it.”  
“Right. So we’ll have the whole weekend for dinners and movies and whatever, to properly celebrate your new job. Sound good?”  
“Sounds great.”

Kayleigh nodded as the server approached with their desserts. “I’m so looking forward to this...”  
The matching pair of sticky toffee puddings were placed in front of them.  
John barely managed to keep a straight face. “Um... what about your wedding diet?”  
She smiled sweetly as she picked up her fork. “Not the time, Jonathan... not the time.”

********************

John stopped outside his house long enough for Kayleigh to get her bags from the boot before he parked “Little Blue” in the garage. Once inside he saw that Sky and the heater were on and could hear the distinctive sound of the kettle, but Kayleigh was nowhere in sight. Before he could call out he heard her coming down the stairs, and when she walked through the door he saw that she’d already changed out of her work clothes. “I’ve put my bags in your room. That’s okay, right?”  
“Yeah, yeah. Um - I don’t know if you got it, but a text just came through from Helen and Simon at the store, along with pictures of the setup.”  
She checked her phone. “No, nothing yet.”  
“It looks great.” He held up his phone. “Want to see?”  
“In a bit - I’m going to get some drinks made first.”

He adjusted the heater before heading upstairs himself. When he returned the small coffee table had been loaded up with hot drinks and the remnants of their crisps and chocolate from the weekend. Kayleigh was sitting on the sofa, flicking through the Sky menu. She patted the space next to her. “Saved you a spot.”  
He eased himself onto the sofa, grateful of the chance to properly relax. “Jesus. What a day.”  
“But a good day overall, right?”  
“Yep. One of the better ones... Oh! That reminds me. You remember my friend Peter from Area Office? Got me onto the project?”  
“I do.”  
“They had their baby today.”  
“Oh lovely! What’d they have?”  
“A little girl.” He brought up a picture on his phone. “Here she is with Peter.”  
“She’s beautiful, John. Does she have a name yet?”  
He hesitated. “Yes.”  
“Well?”  
“...Charlotte.”  
Kayleigh bit her lip. “You’re joking...”  
“Nope. That is Charlotte Eleanor Hansen. She’s named after two grandmothers on Lisa’s side.”  
“Aww... A beautiful name for a beautiful little girl.”  
“Yeah... Yeah.”

A text-alert got Kayleigh’s attention. She glanced at her phone. “It’s from Helen at the store. “Xmas displays”, it says.” She handed it to John. “Do you want to see if they’re the same as what you got?”  
“Sure...” His voice trailed off as he looked at her phone. “Um - why are you getting texts from Heartsearchers?”  
“Are you... are you looking through my texts?”  
“It’s right here, near the top of the list.” He was pointing at the screen. “I thought you were done with them.”  
“I am. Haven’t done that for ages.”  
“So?”  
“Oh....” Kayleigh’s tone was dismissive. “It came through last night. It’s one of those “come back” texts - you know, where you signed up but haven’t been on for ages so they try to pull you back in with a cheap offer. Read it if you want.”

His voice was little more than a mumble:  
“To WHAMMER76  
We miss you, WHAMMER76, and want to offer you a special deal. Please follow the link...”

He looked up at her. “Oh. Why didn’t you just delete it?”  
“I thought I had. Go ahead.”  
“Sure. Done.” He glanced at the text from Helen then gave her the phone. “It’s the same pictures that I was sent.”  
Kayleigh moved closer to John and touched his cheek. “I wasn’t on their site, I didn’t ask them to text me, and I didn’t click on the link. They just sent it to me and I forgot to delete it. That’s all.”  
“Fine. Okay...”  
“Can we just forget about it?”  
“Sure.”  
“Good. Now. What time do you expect the late-text from the store?”  
“Jeremy said he’ll try to call just after ten o’clock.”  
“So we’ve got about two hours... Wait. A call? Not a text?”  
“Not tonight. It’s the first day back running 24-hours so we’ll be talking things through. But it’s hopefully back to texts from tomorrow. Or Wednesday.”  
“Why not just call him when it suits you?”  
“It’s best that the Duty Manager makes the call, as they can pick a time that’s good for them, when they’re not in the middle of something.”  
“Oh right. You’d be hoping for a short call, then?”  
“Should be.”  
“And you’ve still got to be up early tomorrow, right?”  
“Quarter to five at the latest.”  
“Is that because you’re dropping me home first?”  
“Yep.”  
“Oh, John... Is it like this for you every weekday?”  
“Not every day.” He noted her expression. “Hey - it can’t be helped. Don’t worry about it. What you should think about is what we’re going to watch, but it can’t be any longer than about two hours. Actually, pick some short things so I can make my lunch in between. And iron a shirt.”  
“Okay. Anything in particular you’d like to see?”  
“You choose.” He reached for some crisps. “But nothing too relaxing. I mean, yes - relaxing, but not send-me-to-sleep relaxing.”  
“Got it.”

Kayleigh selected and started the programme, initially sitting beside John but then she swung her feet up and onto the sofa, accepting his arms around her as she leaned against him. When the program finished she joined him in the kitchen where he made lunches for both of them, then he ironed his shirt while Kayleigh found a comedy for them to watch.  
Once again she leaned against him on the sofa, but they’d only been sitting there a few minutes before John could feel Kayleigh starting to shift awkwardly.  
“Are you not comfortable, there?”  
“I was, but... I tend to get a bit of backache when I’m near to getting my... you know.”  
“Ah. Best you sit up then. If you press right against the seat back you should be able to rest your head back and see the TV.”  
“That won’t help - it’s already a bit sore.”  
“Hmmm... I do have a heat pad, but it’s like a dinner plate and won’t be very comfortable. Um - would a back rub help?”  
“Really? Would you?”  
“Yeah, sure. How about you put your feet back down and then bend forward.” John rubbed his palms together while she moved. “Is it your lower back?”  
“Yep.”  
“Middle or sides?”  
“The middle, right in the curved bit.”  
He placed his hand in the small of her back, applied gentle pressure and started to move his hand in small circles. “How’s that?”  
“No, no - just straight up and down. And can you press harder?”  
“Doing... How that?”  
“Ohhh.... That’s it. Right there. But...”  
“What?”  
“I can’t see the TV like this.”  
“Ah. Would you prefer to sit up?”  
“Not if it means you’ll stop doing that.”  
“Oh. Well, lets go up to bed, then.”  
“But it’s barely nine o’clock, John.”  
“I think you’ll be more comfortable lying flat on the bed, and I can rub your back while we watch TV.”  
She smiled. “That does sound good.”  
“All right then. You go up while I check the doors and windows.”  
“Do you want a hand tidying up?”  
“No, no - I’ll do that when I come back down to talk to Jeremy. Up you go.”

Kayleigh was lying face-down on his bed when John got upstairs. He sat next to her, put the bowl of crisps and chocolate between them and watched Kayleigh work the TV remote.  
“Should we stick with that comedy or find something else?”  
“You pick,” he replied, and began to feed her crisps as she flicked through the various channels.  
“Oh, I know. How about some more of that property programme?”  
“Oh, sure.” He cleared his throat as he moved slightly backwards on the bed. “Um, would you like your back rubbed some more, or are you all right like that?”  
“This is already better, me just lying like this. But thank you.”  
“Very good.” He sat up straighter, moved his hand away from above her back and helped himself to more crisps from the bowl.  
Kayleigh glanced back at him. “Are you going to sit way back there?”  
“Yep.”  
“You could lie down next to me.”  
“It’s not comfortable on my stomach.”  
“Is it sore?”  
“No - its just not comfortable to lie on my stomach.”  
“Oh. Well, what about on your back?”  
“I’d be upside down. Couldn’t see the TV.”  
“What about-”  
“It’s fine, Kayleigh. Me sitting up is fine.”

For the next thirty minutes they watched the property-pair keep their composure while two sets of couples bickered their way through each of the viewings that had been organised. At the end, with neither couple having agreed on any of the properties, John was left shaking his head.  
“See, this is why I’m not convinced those two are an item.”  
“How so?”  
“After days like that, the last thing you’d want is to spend more time with someone who was part of it all. And with people being as they are, that kind of outcome would happen a lot. Them supposedly looking flushed in the face is probably because they were shouting at each other in frustration.”  
She looked at him curiously.  
“Are you all right there?” he asked without looking directly at her.  
“Yeah... but I’m starting to feel a bit cold now.”  
“I could put the robe over you, if it’ll help.”  
“No, I think I’ll just get into bed, if that’s all right.”  
“Of course it is.” He pointed at the bowl and mugs. “I’ll take this lot down while you do whatever.”  
“You don’t have to go...” but he was already moving. “It’s fine. I’ve got to take them sometime.”

When he returned she was sitting upright in bed, having pulled the covers back on John’s side of the bed. He moved the covers back into place and sat cross-legged next to her.  
“Are you not getting in?”  
“Not yet. I’ll wait until after I’ve talked to Jeremy.”  
“You can talk to him while you’re in bed.”  
“Downstairs is better,” he replied. “We’ll be talking stock levels and customer numbers and whatever else. Do you really want to listen to any of that?”  
“Not really,” she admitted.  
“Exactly. You’d be bored. You stay put and watch TV.”  
“But...”  
“It’s fine. I can have the heater going and it hopefully won’t be for long. It’s all good.”

The text-alert came through soon after. “He’s ringing in five. Time to go.”  
As he started to get up Kayleigh put her hand on his arm. “John, is there something bothering you?”  
“No. Why?”  
“You keep saying everything’s fine.”  
“Everything is fine.” He waggled the phone. “Won’t be long...”

He walked slowly down the stairs, closing every door as he moved through the lounge and into the kitchen. He was able to make tea and find some shortbread before Jeremy called, so put the phone on speaker while he treated himself to some supper.  
“Hi Jeremy.”  
“Good evening, your Majesty.”  
John chuckled. “Idiot. How’s it looking?”  
“Quiet. There’s plenty of stock, plenty of staff but sod-all customers.”  
“Well, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, not after the last couple of weeks. Still, people will soon remember that they’ve not done anything for Christmas and things’ll pick up.”  
“True enough.”  
“What time did the Christmas team leave?”  
“Just after eight o’clock. They were taking a bunch of pictures. Have you seen any?”  
“I have. It looks good.”  
“It’s great. Really. You’ll see when you get in...”

Their conversation drifted around staffing and stock numbers, some concerns they both had with the state of the roads round the store and confirmation of each other’s work plans throughout the following weeks before it drew to a close when Jeremy congratulated John on his imminent transfer.

“Hey,” said John, “with me leaving, my job’s up for grabs. You could try working in daylight for a change.”  
“Not under Thompson,” said Jeremy. “I’m not doing that. I would if you were staying on, but not him.”  
“You’re too kind. But I’m never getting a store of my own, which is one of the reasons I’m going. But... never mind. Good talking to you, mate. I’ll see you when I get in.”  
“Still starting about six, then?”  
“Yeah.”  
“I’ve got to say - no other Store Manager starts that early. Not consistently anyway. It was a bit unnerving at first - thinking you were in early to look over my shoulder.”  
“Wasn’t my intention. The early starts mean I can get my act together before the place gets busy. It’s nothing to do with how the overnight teams got on.”  
“Sure, sure. Um, while I remember - how do I get on Area’s early-start roster?”  
“You mention it to me, and then I send an email to Kevin Harrison in Area, letting him know you’re interested. Why are you interested? You do realise that the hours are shit, right?”  
“They’re no worse than doing these twelve-hour overnight shifts, mate. Can I be completely honest with you about something?”  
“Of course.”  
“And will you then forget I ever said it?”  
He hesitated. “All right...”  
“It’s mainly for the money. Duty-manager money is decent but it’s not full-time, so I figure if I can get on that roster when I’m not overnighting at the store, it’ll be a help.”  
“Okay. I get that.”  
“But what I’m really wanting is a chance in one of the new stores your project is setting up. And I’m not the only one. There’s a lot of us that have hit a wall progress-wise, and we see the new stores as a good solid option. And if you could somehow get them built a bit quicker that would be brilliant. And if you would now forget what I’ve just told you I’d appreciate it.”  
“Done,” John replied.  
“Thanks for that. Right. Best I let you get some sleep. See you in the morning.”  
“Good night, mate.”  
“Pleasant dreams, your Worship...”

John smiled as he finished his supper, as he double-checked everything was locked, as he walked up the stairs and while he brushed his teeth. But it faded when he walked into the bedroom and saw that Kayleigh had fallen asleep and was splayed across the bed, leaving no room for him to get in without disturbing her.

“Shit.”

He briefly considered giving the bed a nudge before sighing, turning off the TV, gathering everything he’d need for the morning and taking it into the guest room.  
He then walked quietly back in the bedroom, wondering if perhaps she might have woken up - but her quiet snores dashed his hopes.  
He took a final look around the room, confirming he’d left nothing in there that he’d need for the morning before leaning over Kayleigh. He made to kiss her forehead but a little voice in his head piped up - “Don’t wake her” - so he straightened up, turned out the light and closed the door.

Behind him Kayleigh stirred briefly before curling up and settling into a soundless sleep.

John stood in the guest room, glaring at the unmade bed.  
“Fucks’ sake...”


	10. Tuesday morning, five o’clock

“Wake up...”  
“Wake up...”

“Kayleigh?”  
“Kayleigh?”

“Hmmm?”

“Time to get up.”

“What time is it?”

“Five.”

“That’s not a real time.”

“It’s real, all right. And it’s time to get up.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Be brave, love.”

“John?”

“Yes?”

“You called me “love” just then.”

“Yeah, so?”

“You love me. I’m telling everyone.”

“I’ve changed my mind. Go back to sleep.”

********************

“Wake up...”  
“Wake up...”

“Kayleigh?”  
“Kayleigh?”

“Hmmm?”

“Time to get up.”

“What time is it?”

“Five.”

“What?”


End file.
